The Remnant
by knightcommander
Summary: When strange activity is detected on a recently discovered planet, the Star Fox team is drawn into an adventure that will change their lives forever. Rated T for langauge and violent content.
1. The Fall

_Well, here it is, the first chapter of my very first fanfiction. I haven't played Star Fox in a while, so some things maybe, possibly could be wrong. I'll try not to let that happen._

_I don't own anything relating to the Star Fox franchise. Nintendo and Namco own it all, since they're apparently programming the games nowadays._

**The Remnant**

A Fanfiction by: knightcommander

Prologue: The Fall

Far across the heavens, in a remote section of the galaxy, there lay a planet of unrivalled natural beauty. Upon this world were seas as blue as the most perfect sapphire, contrasted by land so green and lush, it seemed to be made of the purest emerald. The air was clear, thus allowing the natural beauty of the planet to be viewed in it's fullest. This beautiful planet was known as Cerinia and to its inhabitants it was paradise.

Dawn had come to the Western hemisphere of the Cerinia. Already, the black, star-studded sky of night was being replaced by the dim light of the early morning. As the light of the sun began to cloak the landscape, the land began to come alive. In the lush green forests that rivaled those of the famous Amazon of Earth, birds and insects could be heard singing their joyful morning songs. Animals, which had been asleep during the night, began to come out of their homes to greet the dawn. All over the bright green landscape, life had begun to return.

This was no different for the residents of the tiny jungle village that mingled in with the trees so well one might think that it was merely a bizarre extension of the jungle flora. Inside the collection of small, white stone houses that made up this village, called Sivamarra by its inhabitants, the lights of cooking fires began to appear as residents arose to prepare their morning meals. One of these residents, a young girl of about eight years, came out of her house and climbed the small hill outside which faced to the east. The girl, who's name was Krystal, stared into the dim light of early dawn in anticipation of the sun coming over the mountains to the east. A light breeze came whispering through the trees, ruffling her light purple robe and rustling the light blue fur on her face. Yes, fur, for the inhabitants of Cerinia were all humanoid foxes. They all shared the same characteristics; light blue fur with white on their stomachs, tips of their muzzles, and bottoms of their paws. Krystal herself had sapphire blue eyes, a trait she had inherited from her father, the village leader. From her mother, she had inherited her slender frame and gentle demeanor.

As the breeze died down, Krystal opened her eyes and gazed at the mountains in the distance. The sun had begun to creep over the snow-covered peaks, bathing the mountains in golden light and giving them a heavenly appearance. The jungle began to come alive with a cacophony of noise; birds, insects, and animals all began to raise their voices to the sun, as if rejoicing the fact that the day had come again. Krystal smiled at the gorgeous sight before her. The beauty of the mountains during the sunrise never ceased to fill her with awe, and she never missed the opportunity to watch it. Krystal was so caught up in the beauty of the early morning sunrise that she failed to see the person coming up behind her.

"Krystal." A soft, melodic voice said. Krystal jumped up, startled by the sudden sound. She turned to see her mother, dressed in an ivory white robe, ascending the hill toward her. In reality, Krystal wasn't supposed to go outside unless her mother or father gave her permission.

"I'm sorry mother." Krystal said. "I know I'm not supposed to be outside without asking you. I just wanted to watch the sunrise." She looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet slightly. Her mother, rather than be angry at her, smiled at her daughter and walked over to her.

"It's quite alright, my dear." Her mother replied, smiling. "I was actually going to wake you up so we could come watch it together, but you've spared me the trouble. You sleep so deeply, one would think you were a doll." Both mother and daughter shared a laugh at this.

"The sky looks so beautiful during the sunrise." Krystal said, closing her eyes as another morning breeze overtook them.

"Yes, it does." Her mother replied. "When I was your age, my mother and I used to watch the sunrise together. Every morning, she would wake me up at dawn and climb up this very hill to watch it." It was just then that her mother remembered something; something important.

"Oh, dear! I almost forgot! Today is your brother's initiation ceremony!" Her mother yelped. Krystal's brother, Ja'kan (Cerinian for "first"), had just completed his training to become a warrior, and was about to be initiated at the local temple, located a couple miles outside of town. Their family was holding a feast in the town center that evening to celebrate, and her mother was tasked with preparing the main course, a wild pig brought back from the hunt by her brother, as was customary for a new initiate.

"Don't worry, mother, the feast isn't until later tonight. You have plenty of time to prepare the meal." Krystal reassured her mother. Her mother smiled.

"It's not that, it's that I just can't believe I almost forgot." She replied.

"Everybody forgets, mother." Krystal said. "It's like grandfather used to say. If our heads weren't attached to our necks, we would leave them at home." Her mother laughed.

"Well, we best go make sure all our things are ready." She said, and the two made their way back to their house, a little stone cottage not unlike the rest of the homes in the village. Krystal eagerly followed her mother. She loved to help her mother around the house, helping to clean up, and such. They pair made their way over to the back door of their home and entered their living area, a large, spacious room, oval in shape, and decorated with colorful mosaics on the floor and fine silk shades in brilliant hues of red, green, and violet (Krystal's favorite color). The hallway of the house was the same white color as the rest of the house, and in two spots were doors carved from the finest Cerinian _yekemma _wood, and painted in brilliant emerald green. It was through one of these doors that her mother led Krystal, into her chambers. The room was much like the rest of the house. The windows were draped with red silk draperies, and in the walls were marble white. In the center of the room was a large bed, big enough for two, covered with a royal blue blanket inlaid with gold thread, which formed intricate, swirling patterns across the fabric. On the floor at the foot of the bed, a beautiful floral patterned rug sat. Off to one side was a large dresser, made from the same _yekemma _wood as the doors. Krystal and her mother walked over to this dresser. Upon the dresser was a gorgeous jewelry box. It was gold inlaid with amber, with tiny blue and green gems along the lid. In the center of the lid was their family crest, formed from enamel and rimmed with tiny diamonds, indicating that this item was a family heirloom. Krystal's mother opened the lid, revealing an assortment of beautiful jewelry. Rings, earrings, necklaces, all were included. She focused on four items in particular. She picked out two tiaras. One was a gold chain, which wrapped around the head, and was capped off by a beautifully cut ruby in the center charm. This one she gave to Krystal, after shortening it so it would fit snugly around her head. The other was a solid piece made from silver and containing a green emerald in the center, which fit on one's head much like a crown. This one she would wear herself.

Next, she pulled out two talismans. Both were gold chains with large, beautifully cut gemstones in them. The difference was that one was a ruby, and the other was an emerald. The emerald one she gave to Krystal, and the other she would wear herself. After sorting out their ceremonial jewelry, she went into the drawers. After rooting around, she found her ceremonial garb, which consisted of little more than a top woven from golden silk, and a white loincloth inlaid with golden patterns around the edge, and held together with two golden clasps at the waist. After laying her garb out, she sent Krystal to retrieve hers. Krystal went to her own bedroom, which looked exactly like her mothers, except that the bed was smaller, and the windows had violet drapes rather than red ones. This room also had a dresser and bed, except the dresser was smaller, and the bed was also smaller and was covered with a bright red blanket. Krystal ran over to her dresser and rooted through it. She finally found it underneath a stack of robes similar to the one she was wearing right then. Like her mother's, it was ivory white, and consisted of a similar top and clothe. Krystal gathered her ceremonial clothes up and ran back to her mother.

"I've found them, mother." She said, showing them to her mother. Her mother smiled and took them from her, placing them next to hers.

"Well, now that we've got everything situated, we best get cleaned up." She said, looking at the sundial near the window facing the mountains. "The ceremony starts in about an hour." Krystal then happily skipped off to take her bath, excited about seeing her brother fulfill his dream of becoming a warrior.

Meanwhile, off in a remote location in the jungle, a lone figure made his way through the underbrush, hacking away the foliage with a long, silvery knife. The figure made his way into a clearing in the forest, revealing himself. He was a male, about 17 years of age, with a strong, well-built physique and piercing jade eyes. He wore white pants with gold trim down the sides, along with a shirt made of silvery scale armor, gold shoulder pads, and a pair of armored boots on his feet. Two leather straps ran across his back, which were attached to his two swords. The swords themselves were beautiful to look at. They were crafted from the finest _sinarra,_ a beautiful silvery metal unique to the planet Cerinia, and which was harder than any metal that the Gods could forge. They were curved like scimitars, and as sharp as a razor. Their grips were forged from the finest gold, and inlaid with precious stones. They were as beautiful as they were deadly.

The figure was none other than Ja'kan himself, on the final legs of his last test. He had been brought out into the wilderness and told to find his own way to the village temple in time for the ceremony. This was meant as a last test of his resourcefulness, a tool essential to a warrior, as such things decided more battles throughout the course of history than weapons ever did. He had been out in the jungle for many weeks, relying only on his innate psychic powers to guide him. When a warrior initiate was going through his final test, the priests of the local temple gathered around a large crystal that magnified and projected their own psionic emanations. This acted like a sort of psychic "beacon", guiding the initiate to the temple, so that he or she could be honored for their achievement with the coveted title of warrior.

Ja'kan stopped briefly to allow his psychic powers to hone in on this signal. He picked it up almost immediately, and it was so strong that it nearly gave him a headache. This told him that he was close to the temple, probably no more than a mile. If he hurried, he would make it to the temple in time for his ceremony.

Krystal and her mother, having cleaned up and changed into their ceremonial garb, met each other in the sitting room of their house. Both were fully decked out in their ceremonial jewelry, and their slightly revealing clothing revealed their tattoos. They both had the same tattoos, a line of geometric patterns circling their upper arms, and a spiral marking with four triangles pointing from the sides, tops, and bottoms.

"Well, are you ready?" Her mother asked, glancing at the sundial by the window and noticing that they had about thirty minutes to get to the temple. Krystal nodded briskly, excited as never before. "Well then, let's be going." The two of them walked out of their house and began trekking down the path out of town. They noticed that others had begun to make their way to the temple as well. It was, after all, a special occasion, as one of their own was about to complete the circle of his life. Not only was he about to complete his trials and become a warrior, but Ja'kan's family had also announced that their neighbor's daughter, and incredibly beautiful young woman, had selected him to be her husband. Not only was their son about to become a warrior, but he was also about to get married. Needless to say, their father was extremely proud.

The path leading up to the temple was surrounded on both sides by the jungle, causing the early morning light to cast an eerily green glow on the white stone path. The surrounding jungle was so thick, it gave the impression of green wall, with spots of yellow, red, and white from the orchid flowers, which grew like wildfire in this part of the jungle. The throng of Cerinians that made their way down the serene path, however, weren't thinking about the jungle's beauty. Their minds were on the ceremony. Few men were even considered to become warriors, and even fewer actually completed the trials to earn the coveted title. So, when they heard that Ja'kan was close to finishing his trials, everyone in Sivamarra wanted to present to see him accept his mark. Also, the evening before, his father announced that his wedding would be later that day, so the people of Sivamarra had an extra reason to be excited.

Krystal held onto her mother's hand tightly as they made their way through the jungle to the temple, so that she wouldn't be swept away by what was quickly becoming a flood. The entire village, it seemed, would be on hand to see her brother receive his honor. She noticed some of her friends from her school with their parents, and even called to some of them. The trip was mostly uneventful, until they reached the temple itself. The temple stood on a hill, it's ivory white visage standing in stark contrast to the blue sky behind it. The main body of the temple was a massive pyramid, surrounded by four obelisk-like structures. Unlike the typical obelisk, these ones were chopped off at the top, and where the pyramid-shaped tops would be, were four ornately carved statues depicting the four main Gods in Cerinian religion; Hesora, the God of Thunder and King of the Gods; Menasal, God of Fire; Ulika, Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, and Dalinar, God of War. The obelisks themselves were entwined with gold and silver inlay, curling up the length of the shaft and forming four claw-like structures that surrounded the statues. In fact, the whole temple complex had symmetry of four, which was a sacred number in Cerinian religion, for it represented the four main Gods of the pantheon. The grounds of the temple were alive with a sea of colorful flowers, and the pathways leading into the temple were made of the finest polished marble inlaid with jade. The whole scene made Krystal's eyes grow at least a size bigger. The two of them made their way up the pathway to the front door of the temple, which was crafted in gold and inlaid with more precious stones than Krystal had ever seen in her life. Two temple guards, wearing purple shirts and pants with a blue cape and a vest of silvery scale mail armor and helmets, guarded the door. They were armed with silvery staffs at least as tall as they were, with a blade at one end and a green orb on the tip. The guards crossed their weapons in front of the door as the throng approached them.

"Halt!" One of the guards called to the assembled crowd. "What business brings you to the temple of Sivamarra." He asked them, even though he already knew the answer. They still asked, just in case the person trying to enter was a thief trying to get in and steal anything.

"We've come to attend my son's initiation ceremony." Krystal's mother told him.

"Ah, so your son is the one coming." The guard replied with a smile. "Very well, then, I won't hold you up. Enter." He said, nodding to another guard. The guard nodded back and proceeded to open the door. The throng then began to make their way into the temple.

Ja'kan hustled his way through the jungle, determined to make it to the temple in time for his ceremony. He had no way of telling exactly what time it was, but he did know that he had six days to make it back. He had kept careful count of the days as he made his way through the wilderness, and he knew that it was the sixth day. His thoughts were so consumed by this thought that he almost missed the cliff in front of him. He yelped as the ground in front of him suddenly stopped, but he managed to prevent himself from falling off the edge. After regaining his balance, he looked out over the cliff's edge and saw the temple, so close he could practically touch it. He whooped in delight that his trials were now over, and then said a quick prayer to Hesora for delivering him safely. He then noticed a set of wooden stairs leading down to the valley where the temple was located. He quickly ran over and flew down the stairs as fast as he could, caring little if he fell or not. Once he got down to the valley floor he could see people filing into the temple. Praying he wasn't too late, he immediately took off full speed towards the back of the temple. Even he was surprised at the speed in which he crossed the field. Finally reaching his intended goal of the back entrance, he noticed an elderly man in gold robes whom he identified as the Vicar of the temple. The Vicar's eyes were closed, apparently in some sort of meditation. Ja'kan walked over to him and attempted to get his attention.

"Vicar. Excuse me, Vicar." Ja'kan said. The Vicar opened his eyes and noticed the young man standing before him. He smiled.

"Ah, young Ja'kan, welcome home. We have missed you during your ordeal." The Vicar said, standing up to admire the young warrior-to-be. Ja'kan looked at him nervously.

"Did I do it?" He asked, his voice betraying his nervousness. "Did I make it here on time." The Vicar merely smiled.

"You tell me, my child. What do you think?" The Vicar replied. Ja'kan could tell, by the tone of his voice, that the answer was the one he hoped for.

"I have made it. I am a warrior." Ja'kan said, giving what was possibly the biggest smile he had ever made.

"You're half-right, my child." The Vicar replied. "You have indeed arrived on time, but you are not yet a warrior. You still have yet to be tapped." Ja'kan nodded, no less happy that he made it on time, and now could not wait to be tapped. "Tapping" referred to the part in the initiation ceremony where a higher-ranking warrior applied the warrior's mark on his hand, replacing his previous initiate's mark and sealing his place amongst his peers.

"I am ready, Vicar." Ja'kan replied. "I am ready to take my place amongst my fellow warriors." The Vicar smiled and clapped his hands on Ja'kan's shoulders.

"That you are, my son." The Vicar replied. "You have completed your trials, and are ready to step up and defend your people. Now, let's get you inside and cleaned up. Your ceremony starts in fifteen minutes." The Vicar then led the beaming Ja'kan inside, where his destiny awaited him.

If the scene outside the temple was beautiful, then the interior was a rare jewel. The walls and supporting columns of the temple were made of the same white marble as the rest of the buildings in Sivamarra, the exception being that they were inlaid with gold and precious stones. Lining the wall were torches, which unlike most that burned, were capped with bright blue jewels that glowed with an ethereal light that seemed to come from within, bathing the walls with a bright blue hue not unlike the color of a Cerinian's fur. Their shafts were crafted from the same silver metal that made up the weapons of the temple guards. There were no pews in this temple, only padded beams that the worshippers would kneel on, showing their reverence for the Gods. On the high walls were stained glass windows displaying scenes from Cerinian mythology; images of the Gods battling evil demons, images of great heroes from Cerinian myth, such as the mighty Je'kar, who possessed the strength of a thousand men and the ability to heal grievous wounds, and images of the creation of the world, showing Hesora crafting the first Cerinians from magical blue crystals of his own design. At the end of the temple was an ornate altar that could quite possibly put the throne of the King of Cerinia himself to shame. The altar was crafted entirely from the finest gold with silver inlays, and had so many gems in it that it sparkled like the night sky. In the center of the altar was an enclave with a golden statue of Hesora, King of the Gods, holding in his outstretched hands a tome. This tome was the _Velarca_, the holy book of Cerinian religion, presented to the people by Hesora himself over a thousand years ago, outlining the path to the Afterlife for all Cerinians to follow.

Krystal and her mother kneeled down in the front of worship chamber, in a spot specially designated for the family of the initiate, and began a prayer to Hesora, asking him to guide their loved one safely to the temple, so that he might take his place amongst the warriors of Cerinia. Krystal followed her mother's chant almost to the letter, adding a little part near the end asking Lasania, Goddess of Love, to bless her brother's upcoming marriage to their neighbor's daughter, Kelia. After they had finished their prayers, they anxiously awaited the arrival of the Vicar, so that they might begin the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Ja'kan and the Vicar were preparing themselves for the ceremony, as well. Ja'kan stood in front of a marble sink, washing the dirt out of his muzzle and face fur. He also took some time to groom his tail, carefully brushing the dirt out with a comb the Vicar had provided him. He would bath himself later, before his wedding ceremony began at three. He allowed a smile to form on his face as he thought about it. Kelia was perhaps the most beautiful woman on Cerinia, and he felt that the Gods had truly blessed him. When he learned that Kelia had chosen him to be her husband, he felt as though he were lighter than air, he was so happy. It was for this reason, more than becoming a warrior, that this day was truly the happiest of his life. His musings were brought to an end when the Vicar stepped into the washroom.

"Well, my son." The Vicar said. "Are you ready?" Ja'kan wiped a bit of water off of his muzzle before answering,

"Yes Vicar." He said. The Vicar then wrapped a blue, scarf-like garment emblazoned with golden Cerinian letters around the back of his neck and picked up a golden scepter encrusted with purple opals.

"Then we shall begin. Follow me, please." The Vicar replied. Ja'kan did as he was told and followed the Vicar through a door leading to a hallway. When they reached the set of doors at the end of the hallway, the Vicar stopped.

"Wait here." The Vicar instructed. "You'll be called out when it is time."

"Yes Vicar." Ja'kan replied. The Vicar smiled and then entered the worship chamber to begin the ceremony.

As Ja'kan readied himself, his family was still sitting in the worship chamber, anxiously awaiting the start of the ceremony. Krystal kept her gaze locked on the door to the left of the altar, as this was the one that the Vicar would enter. As she and her mother waited for his arrival, they heard the front entrance to the temple open up. Glancing back she saw none other than her father, Kel'mar, enter the temple. Dressed in his finest red robe and blue cape, topped off with some pieces of gold ceremonial armor on his shoulders and a dress dagger on his belt, Kel'mar quickly made his way over to where his family was sitting. His wife turned her head and saw him as he sat down next to her.

"Kel'mar, you are nearly late." She said. Kel'mar turned to his wife and smiled sheepishly.

"My apologies, love. Town Councilman Jo'gan had to stop and chat with me, and you know how he is, babbling about this and that." He replied. "By the time he was finished, I barely had time to dress for the occasion." Krystal giggled at her father's sheepishness. Her mother was about to make another comment when a priestess rang a bell indicating that the Vicar had entered the chamber. They immediately put their conversation aside as the Vicar took his place in front of the altar, looking out at the assembled congregation.

"My children, as you all know, we are assembled this morning to observe one of the most solemn rituals in Cerinian tradition, the Marking of the Initiate." He began. Krystal watched him with rapt attention. "Just this morning, Warrior Initiate Ja'kan of Sivamarra completed his final trial. Placed in the wilds far from home, he trekked across miles of wilderness, using only his senses and his faith to guide him home. With the blessing of the Gods, he succeeded in making his way here, and now stands poised to take his place amongst his fellow warriors. Now, let the marking commence." He politely bowed off stage and gestured to the right of the altar. Almost immediately, Krystal heard drums begin to play rhythmically, growing louder as they got closer to the chamber. As Krystal watched, amazed, a group of five warriors, decked out in full battle regalia, marched out onto the altar to the beat of war drums. When they reached the center of the stage, one of them, the apparent leader of the group, stopped and turned to face the congregation. Dressed in full armor, gold in color, and wearing a blue baldric and red cape, the leader's appearance awed Krystal. In fact, the whole pageantry of the affair amazed her. She had never seen anything like it in her entire life.

As the leader took his place, the remaining four warriors split into groups of two and stood in front of each other by the door. As they took their positions, the leader turned to the Vicar and spoke.

"Vicar, is the initiate prepared?" The leader asked in a deep, commanding voice.

"He is prepared." The Vicar replied.

"Bring forth the initiate." Was the leader's reply. The Vicar then closed his eyes, sending a telepathic call to Ja'kan, and then gestured to the priestess to open the door. The priestess nodded affirmatively and then began to make her way to the door. Krystal clasped her hands together in excitement, as this was the moment they all had been waiting for.

Ja'kan stood behind the door, nervously awaiting the Vicar's signal. His palms were nearly drenched with sweat, and if one looked him in the face, one could see tiny droplets of sweat upon his brow. He reached up to his face and wiped his brow off, and just as he did, he heard a voice in his head.

_"Be ready, Ja'kan. It is almost time." _Said the Vicar's voice in his head. Ja'kan straightened himself out and wiped the remaining sweat from his brow. Then, the door to the worship chamber opened. From his vantage point, he could see his family sitting in the front row. He took a deep breath and began to make his way out onto the altar.

Krystal watched with rapt attention as her brother made his way through the assembled warriors out onto the altar. As he passed each set, they warriors would draw their swords and hold them in front of them with the tips of the blades pointing down, a traditional salute amongst Cerinian warriors. As he reached the last set of two, the leader signaled for him to stop, which he did.

"Initiate Ja'kan, can you tell us truthfully that you have completed your trials successfully?" He asked. Ja'kan stood himself up as straight as possible before answering.

"I have." He replied. The leader than turned to the assembled congregation.

"Are there any that may vouch for him?" He asked. Kel'mar stood up and cleared his throat before speaking.

"I, Kel'mar, the initiate's father, can vouch that he is honest, brave, strong and just, and that he has completed his trials with integrity and is worthy of the mantle of warrior." He said. The leader looked out amongst the assembled congregation again.

"Are there any amongst you who would raise objection to this young man receiving this honor?" Krystal knew that no one would object, but she got nervous anyway. It was a relief to her that no one spoke. The leader turned to face Ja'kan.

"Initiate Ja'kan, come forth." The leader said. Ja'kan then walked over and stood in front of the leader. The leader then put his hand on Ja'kan's shoulder. "Initiate, do you promise to uphold the principles of honor, courage, and service to your people that every warrior holds dear, and to give your blood, and life if necessary, to ensure the safety of our people?" He asked.

"I do." Was Ja'kan's answer. The leader than turned to the priestess, who came up to them carrying a box. The leader opened the box and took out what looked like a metal stamp. Engraved on the bottom was the Warrior's mark, in the shape of a shield with a pair of crossed swords behind it. The leader slipped it onto his hand and turned to face Ja'kan again.

"Ja'kan of Sivamarra, you have completed your trials with honor, and made a solemn promise to uphold the values of a warrior. With this mark, I now confer upon you to mantle of warrior, and entitlement to all the rights and privileges that come therewith. Extend your hand." The leader said. Ja'kan extended his hand, which the leader took. He then closed his eyes and began to focus. As he did, the mark began to glow bright blue until it nearly lit the entire room. The leader than placed on Ja'kan's hand where his initiate's mark was, and held in place for about five seconds. Ja'kan, surprisingly, felt no pain as the mark was seared into his fur. When the mark was lifted, his initiate's mark was gone, replaced with the mark of a warrior. The leader opened his eyes, took the mark off, and placed it back in the box. The priestess closed the box and bowed before stepping off the altar to join the Vicar. "Now, go forth, and be valiant." The leader said, with the ceremony completed. The congregation then stood up and clapped loudly, proud that one of their own had attained the coveted mantle. Ja'kan's tail was wagging with happiness. After many years of hard work, his dream had finally come true.

Outside the temple, Krystal anxiously waited for her brother to emerge. Behind her, their parents stood, beaming with pride at their son's accomplishment. Krystal watched the crowd emerging from the temple for any sign of her brother. It wasn't long before she caught sight of him rushing down the steps to greet his family.

"Big brother!" Krystal yipped with happiness before rushing towards him. Ja'kan yelped with surprise as his little sister tackled him into the dirt. Their parents smiled at the sight of her clinging to his legs.

"Easy, little sister. I may be strong, but I'm not invincible." He said with a chuckle. Krystal let of his legs long enough for him to get back up. Ja'kan brushed the dust off of him and then walked over to his parents. His mother immediately wrapped him up in a hug and kissed him on the forehead.

"Oh, honey. I am so proud of you." She said, choking up slightly as tears of happiness welled up. Ja'kan just hugged back while his father beamed.

"You've done so well, son. I couldn't be prouder." He said proudly.

"Me too! I'm proud of you too, big brother!" Krystal said, wagging her tail and smiling from ear to ear. Ja'kan chuckled and scooped her up before putting her on his shoulders.

"Thank you, but I couldn't do it without you. If you all hadn't had supported me, I probably would never have made it past selection." Ja'kan said modestly. His mother and father just beamed while his sister laughed with delight from atop his shoulders.

"Well, now that you're a warrior," His father began, "I do believe that we should celebrate." Kel'mar then turned to his wife, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but first, there is another ceremony that must be performed." Ja'kan said.

"That's right, you're getting married, aren't you." Krystal said. Ja'kan smiled.

"You're right, Krystal." Their mother said. "But the ceremony isn't for another two hours. We have plenty of time to get ready." Ja'kan nodded, smiling.

"Come, let's go home. We have a celebration to plan out." Kel'mar said. The whole family agreed, and they began to make their way towards the village.

Meanwhile, in the darkness of space, a fleet of ships made it's way through the void. They were all dark gray in color, except for the lead ship, which was blood red. Most of them had long, cylindrical hulls with their massive plasma engines spewing purple exhaust mounted on the back, and large wings. The lead ship was the exception. Its bridge was shaped almost like a crocodile's head, and its hull was long and thin. All the ships bore the same insignia, a black A superimposed on a green globe, with a sword going through the globe.

Upon the lead ship in the fleet, a tall, burly ape in a black military uniform stood on the bridge, surrounded by crewmen bustling about the myriad of electronic devices and panels. One of them, who manned the sensor readout, noticed something on his console, something that made him happy.

"Admiral!" The officer called. The ape turned to the sensorman and walked over to him.

"What is it, lieutenant?" The Admiral asked. The officer pointed to a spike on one of the sensor readouts.

"I noticed this energy signature just now." The officer replied. "I think it may be the one we are looking for.

"Can you pinpoint its location?" The Admiral asked. The officer went over to another console and typed a few keys. In a few seconds, readouts appeared on the monitor.

"Here, sir." The officer said, pointing to the readout. "It's coming from a planet in Star System A23. I believe it may be the source we are looking for." The Admiral smiled. It was indeed the one they were looking for, he was sure of it. The Emperor would be most pleased when he found out their mission was a success.

"Prepare the troops." The Admiral ordered. "We attack as soon as we get into orbit."

Back on Cerinia, the people continued to go about their daily activities. Farmers tilled their land, merchants sold their wares, and priests and priestesses readied their temples for afternoon services. All about the planet, people bustled about their daily lives as though this was just another ordinary day. They had no inkling of the horror they were in for.

In the village of Sivamarra, it was no different. The residents bustled about their houses, busily preparing themselves for the coming celebrations. One of their number had just earned the Warrior's mark, and was now about to get married. As this was an occasion for the entire village, they all busily worked to prepare themselves. Nowhere was this more apparent that at the house next door to Krystal's, where the young Kelia had been up since early morning preparing for her wedding. She had spent the last few hours cleaning herself up, getting her ceremonial robe and jewelry ready, and making sure that everything she had planned for the celebration afterward was in order. The reason for the haste was another important part of Cerinian tradition. For eight days and nights before her wedding, a Cerinian woman spent time in a remote section of wilderness undergoing _umaikara, _a ritual consisting of intense meditation meant to cleanse the body and mind in preparation for her role as a wife. The ritual was very arduous, and taxed the practitioner to the limit. The majority of the time leading up to the wedding was simply preparing for this demanding ritual.

Kelia cringed slightly as she remembered her _umaikara. _All she had to eat during her eight days in the wilds were scraps of bread, as Cerinians believed that eating large meals during the _umaikara _ritual interfered with its cleasing aspects, and she nearly passed out several times during the ritual from lack of sleep. It had been the most arduous time of her life, but it was worth. She had come through, and she felt stronger in both body and mind, although this could be simple relief that her trial was now over. But, it didn't matter. In less than three hours, she would join in union with the man she loved.

"Kelia." A woman's voice sounded behind her. Kelia turned around to see her mother, Selya, standing in her doorway, holding a bride's dress in her hands. "Your dress is ready, my dear." Kelia stood up, revealing her white sleeping robe as she went to retrieve her dress.

"Thank you, mother." She said as she took her dress. The dress itself was beautiful. It was a lovely royal purple color with gold trimmings along the sides and top. When it was stood up, it resembled an evening gown, cut so that it showed the branded symbols on her hips. Kelia thought it the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Try it on." Selya said, giving her daughter a warm smile. Kelia nodded and stepped behind a screen on the far side of her bedroom. She removed her white sleeping robe and slipped the dress on. She stepped out and twirled around so her mother could see both sides. The dress was strapless and low cut on her chest, revealing her family marks on her upper arms. The slits on the side revealed the family marks on her hips. Her marks were, as expected, distinctly different from Krystal and her families. The marks on her arms consisted of two parallel lines going around her arms, in between which was a pattern that resembled ocean waves. On her hips were white triangle-shaped marks with blue starburst patterns in their centers. Selya smiled as her daughter showed off her dress.

"How do I look?" Kelia asked.

"My dear, I cannot recall a time when you looked so beautiful." Selya replied with a proud smile.

"Do you think Ja'kan will like it?" She asked. Selya laughed.

"Oh, my dear. He will love it." She said. Kelia laughed too, as the answer was obvious. Selya then looked at the sundial near Kelia's window.

"Well, the ceremony wont is not for another two hours. Ja'kan's Marking should be finished by now." Selya said. "You should take the opportunity for some rest. You look like you could use some after those days in the wild." Kelia laughed.

"Yes, I suppose I could use a little extra sleep." She said. "I'm surprised I haven't passed out yet."

"I'll take your dress, then." Selya replied. "I'll wake you when it is time." Kelia nodded and once again stepped behind the screen. After changing back into her sleep robes, she handed the dress back to her mother and climbed into her bed. Selya smiled as she watched her sleep for a few moments, then left her to rest.

Back at Krystal's home, Ja'kan stood out behind his house, holding one of his swords in his hand. He got into a fighting stance, with his sword held out in front of him, and began to slash the sword through the air in intricate practice patterns. The silvery metal of the sword gleamed from the sunlight as it slashed the air. After completing some sword motions, he flipped the sword into the air, spun around, caught the sword as he was spinning, and smashed into the ground. He then pulled the sword out of the dirt, wiped the soil off of the blade, and sheathed it. Ja'kan practiced like this everyday, and he was quite a skilled swordsman. He was also versed in the art of using throwing weapons, particularly throwing daggers. Like most traditional warriors, he disliked using the energy weapons and explosives of the regular army, and instead favored traditional weaponry like swords and daggers. As he made his way back to his house, he thought about Kelia and his upcoming wedding to her. The last time he saw her was eleven days ago, before he set out on his final trial. He remembered that day clearly.

_Ja'kan and Kelia stood in front of the temple, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes. Kelia was the first to speak._

_"You have to leave soon, don't you?" Kelia said. Ja'kan nodded._

_"My final trial begins tommorow. I was allowed to come by here to allow my family to wish me luck." He said. Kelia smiled, and she could feel her heart swelling with pride._

_"I'll miss you while you are gone." She said. "I have a trial of my own to go on."_

_"Yes, that's right. The umaikara ritual." He said. Kelia nodded. Ja'kan then managed a glance at the analog clock displayed on the temple at night, when sundials became useless. It read eight o' clock. His transport left in one hour._

_"I'll miss you, as well, my love." Ja'kan said. "But I promise you that I shall return, and I will return a warrior." Kelia smiled._

_"I shall wait for you." She said. The two then closed their eyes and melted into a passionate kiss. When they broke, they said a final "goodbye", and Ja'kan ran to the back of the temple to catch his transport._

_"Best of luck to you, my darling." Kelia whispered, before turning and heading back to the village._

Ja'kan smiled as he remembered the kiss they shared that night. His musings were brought to an end when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"I know you're out here somewhere, big brother! Mother is looking for you." The voice of his little sister rang as clear as a bell in the quiet air. Ja'kan turned around and saw her running toward him.

"I can't escape you for two seconds, can I?" Ja'kan said as Krystal ran up to him. Krystal looked up at him crestfallen. I didn't say that to be mean, I was joking." He quickly said. It didn't take long for Krystal to get her smile back. Ja'kan noticed that Krystal was dressed in her day clothes, which consisted of a simple white skirt and shirt.

"Mother wants you to come see her. She wants you to try on your formal clothes." Krystal said.

"I'll be there shortly. Thank you." He said to her. Krystal immediately took off to find her mother.

Meanwhile, the sinister fleet of ships made it's way through the colorful emptiness of hyperspace. Their destination was the planet they had discovered on their long-range sensors. All about the ships of the fleet, the crews worked feverishly to prepare their vessels for battle. Missiles were loaded into the missile pods, laser cannons were charged, and starfighters were armed and readied to fly into battle. On the bridge of the lead ship, named the _Emperor's Wrath, _the Admiral sat in his chair, staring into the colorful tunnel that surrounded his ship. The lieutenant busily typed away at one of the computer consoles.

"Sub-lieutenant Kale, how much longer until we reach our target?" The admiral asked. Sub-lieutenant Kale, a young panther with a scar over his left eye, turned around in his chair near the front of the bridge to face the Admiral.

"Approximately three more hours until we reach our target, sir." Kale replied. The Admiral nodded and then turned to the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, what can you tell about this planet?" He asked. The lieutenant turned to face the Admiral.

"The planet is a Class 4 planet with an atmosphere capable of supporting life." The lieutenant replied. "Long-range scans indicate that it does contain liquid water and is inhabited." The Admiral nodded.

"How many inhabitants?" He asked.

"The sensors couldn't get an accurate reading because of hyperspace interference, but the computer estimated somewhere between 100 and 200 million inhabitants." The Lieutenant replied.

"That many, hmm?" The Admiral said. "That number will make it difficult if the planet needs to be 'cleansed'." The lieutenant smiled.

"The numbers will be no problem, Admiral. The Emperor was kind enough to equip all ships in the fleet with his latest weapon." The lieutenant slyly replied. The Admiral's eyes widened with surprise.

"You mean he has given us Decimators?" He said. The lieutenant nodded and gave an evil smile.

"If it does come to a point where we must exterminate the populace, we have enough Decimators to kill every living being on Katina, Macbeth, and Corneria combined." Both the lieutenant and the Admiral chuckled evilly at the prospect.

"Remind me to thank the Emperor personally when we return to Venom." The Admiral said.

Two hours later, back on Cerinia, all was prepared for Ja'kan and Kelia's wedding ceremony. The entire village returned to the temple in their best formal wear, white sleeveless shirts and white pants for the men, long dresses in varying colors for the women. In the front of the assembled guests was Krystal, her mother and her father. Upon the altar stood Ja'kan, likewise in formal dress, wearing a golden band around the top of his head. He had left his swords at home. As a warrior, he was permitted to take them with him wherever he went, but he decided to forego wearing them. Kel'mar and his wife stood side by side while Krystal stood in front of them. Her mother was wearing a rich velvet colored dress, while Krystal wore a white one. Next to them stood Kelia's mother, Selya, who wore a light pink colored dress and a golden tiara. As the assembled guests watched, the Vicar of the temple walked out onto the altar along with two priests who held silver staves capped with red jewels in their hands. The Vicar smiled at Ja'kan, who weakly smiled back.

"Is something troubling you, my son?" He asked, noticing Ja'kan fidget a little.

"Just a little nervous, I guess." Ja'kan replied. The Vicar patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry, my son. You'll do fine." He reassured him. Ja'kan felt a little better with that. Just then, one of the priests rang a bell, indicating it was time for the ceremony to begin. The Vicar stepped back in front of the guests.

"My children, this morning we gathered to watch Ja'kan, son of Kel'mar and Lenala, achieve to mantle of warrior. Now, we gather again in these hallowed halls to observe a ceremony of a different kind. Here, in this temple, we now gather to unite Ja'kan and Kelia, daughter of Ta'lars and Selya, together in the bonds of marriage. Unfortunately, Ta'lars is no longer with us in body, having joined the company of the Gods many years ago. However, he is with us today in spirit as we celebrate this union. And now, we begin the ceremony of marriage." The Vicar gestured offstage, and a priestess entered the worship chamber. She stepped out onto the stage and, after clearing her throat she began to sing a traditional Cerinian wedding song that told the tale of how Lasania, Goddess of Love, fell for Ra'jas, God of the Sun, and joined with him in marriage. As she sang, the front door to the temple opened, and several little girls in white dresses came through, throwing flower petals on the aisle of the temple as they went. Behind them came two older girls, carrying large fan-like objects, who stopped and held them in front of the door after they entered. When the flower girls had finished coming up the aisle and had fanned out, they lifted them away, revealing the bride. Ja'kan gasped at the sight. He had never seen Kelia look as beautiful as she did then. She was wearing her purple bride's dress, and tucked behind her ear was a Cerinian orchid, pink in color, the traditional symbol of love in Cerinian culture. In her hands she held a boquet of Cerinian purple roses, another symbol of love and romance. Around her head was a silver tiara adorned with precious stones, a huge sapphire it's centerpiece. With a smile as dazzling as the starlit oceans, she made her way up the aisle to where her groom anxiously waited. Ja'kan simply stood there, mesmerized by her beauty. Kelia stepped up onto the altar and faced her soon-to-be husband, still smiling warmly. The Vicar gently nodded to Ja'kan, who took her hand as he began to speak.

"Ja'kan and Kelia, the Gods smile on you as stand here. With their blessing, you are about to begin a new chapter in both of your lives, one that will be filled with many blessings and infinite joy." The Vicar began. "If there are any amongst the assembled who object to this union, please speak now, or hold your peace forevermore." Not one of the guests uttered a single word. The Vicar then turned to Kelia. "Kelia, daughter of Selya, do you take as your husband this man, to love him and cherish him through whatever trials life shall make you endure, until you draw your final breath?"

"Yes, I do." Kelia said. The Vicar than turned to Ja'kan.

"Ja'kan, son of Kel'mar, do you take as your wife this woman, to love and cherish her through whatever trials life shall make you endure, until you draw your final breath."

"Yes, I do." Ja'kan replied. The Vicar smiled in approval.

"Then by the power vested in me by the Gods above, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now seal your union with a kiss." Kelia and Ja'kan threw their arms around each other and kissed each other passionately, and the entire congregation clapped. Kel'mar, Lenala, and Krystal all smiled approvingly.

"And now," Kel'mar said, "let the celebration commence."

Far above the planet Cerinia, a brilliant blue flash of light seemed to tear the very fabric of space apart. From within the blue flash, several ships emerged. It was none other than the fleet of ships sent to take control of the planet below. On the bridge of the _Emperor's Wrath, _the Admiral and the Lieutenant stood by and watched as the planet came into view. The beauty of the planet did not cause any response in the two men, both hardened officers of the Venomian military. The Admiral did crack a smile when the sensor reports came back.

"Not sensor grids, no planet-based defenses, no military starships to speak of." He said. "Heh, I'll bet they don't even lock their doors."

"All units are ready to begin the attack." The Lieutenant said. "All we need is your order." The Admiral turned to him and smiled wickedly.

"Land units at these drop points." He said pointing to a holographic map of the planet with white at certain points. "Kill any natives you find and plant the targeting beacons for the Decimators." The Lieutenant's eyes widened slightly.

"You wish to deploy the Decimators against them?" He asked.

"Yes, do you object?" The Admiral asked. The Lieutenant smiled maniacally.

"Not at all sir. I have no objections to exterminating backwater wastes like these." The Lieutenant replied. "Besides, it will make a fine test for the Decimators if they were deployed in an actual combat situation."

"Then it shall be so." The Admiral said. "By tomorrow morning, there won't be a single life form left on this planet."

The town square of Sivamarra was alive with activity as the feast in honor of Ja'kan and Kelia's wedding proceeded. The entire center of town had been decorated, and a massive ten was set up in the middle for the townsfolk to sit down and eat. Ja'kan and Kelia sat at the high table, with their families on either side of them. Krystal wandered about the food table. Her little eyes glowed with amazement. She had never seen so much delicious food in her entire life. She immediately helped herself to some chicken and wild rice and then went back over to the high table to eat her meal. She sat down next to her brother, who sat on a tall chair next to his new wife. The two of them ate their meals happily, occasionally sharing bits of their food with each other and nuzzling. Krystal giggled at the sight before starting on her own meal.

"Krystal, are you sure your eyes aren't bigger than your stomach?" She heard her mother say. She simply nodded "yes" before stuffing a piece of chicken in her mouth. At that moment, her father stood and lifted his goblet into the air.

"If I may have your attention, I would like to propose a toast to my son and his lovely bride." All the assembled guests shouted "aye" before sipping their drinks. It was then that Kel'mar noticed something in the sky. It looked like hundreds of meteors falling from space. He knew that they got a planet fall of the Hakaran meteor shower every few years, but now it was too early for that. He tapped his wife on the shoulder and pointed to the display.

"It does look like meteors. Perhaps the astronomers were wrong when they said the Hakaran came every five years." Lenala said.

"Perhaps." Kel'mar said before returning to his food. Little did he or any of the assembled guests know the horror that was about to befall them.

Unlike their compatriots in the drop pods, the Lieutenant took his men down to the planet in a stealth lander, which was basically a standard Venomian transport ship equipped with a cloaking device. The ship was black in color, and instead of the standard emblem of the Venomian Empire on the hull, it bore another symbol. This symbol consisted of red triangle with a hand grasping a hammer in its fist in the center. This was the symbol of the Emperor's Hammer, the most elite special unit in the Venomian Army. The Lieutenant and his men, dressed in black combat uniforms and carrying black laser rifles in their hands, jumped out of the lander and assembled in a forest clearing not to far away from their insertion point. The Lieutenant turned to his men.

"Alright, let's make this a clean mission." He said. "Get in there, waste the inhabitants, and place the beacon, understood?" The squad nodded. "Good, then let's get going." And with that, the team of commandos rushed out of the woods.

Kel'mar and his family continued to eat their meals, the sight of the apparent meteor shower pushed out of their minds. The feast continued for a few more minutes, until somebody spotted something emerging from the woods.

"Who are you people?" They said. Kel'mar and Ja'kan looked up from their plates at where they pointed. They saw a group of men in black uniforms, carrying guns and looking at that had gathered around them.

"Greetings." Kel'mar politely called to them. "My I assist you in any way?" The apparent leader of the group, a gray wolf, reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a spherical device. The wolf tapped it once and tossed it toward the crowd. Krystal watched in slow motion as the strange device, with lights glowing red on it, arced toward the crowd in slow motion. Once it reached the ground, the red lights blinked twice, and a terrible explosion consumed the crowd. The men then raised their rifles and began to fire red laser bolts into the feasters. Screams of horror and pain filled the air as laser blasts tore through people, snuffing out their lives faster than the most grievous of sword wounds. Several men, Kel'mar included, pulled out ceremonial weapons and jumped in front of the men firing, creating a barrier of psychic energy that blocked the lasers.

"Ja'kan!" Kel'mar called to his son. "Get Krystal out of here! These men are landing all over the planet, you must escape!" Kel'mar had read the mind of one of the soldiers, and learned of their plan.

"No! I can't leave you, father!" Ja'kan said.

"He is right, son!" Said another man. "Live today, fight tomorrow!"

"Hurry, son! Get Krystal to the evacuation pod!" Kel'mar shouted over the din of firing laser rifles. "Go!" Ja'kan realized that his father was right, and immediately scooped Krystal up in his arms and ran from the square toward their house as fast as he could.

"Daddy!" Krystal cried.

"Don't worry, little sister. He can handle them. We must get off of this planet if we want to help him." Ja'kan said. Krystal nodded. The two ran back to their house and went inside. Ja'kan grabbed some extra food, blankets, clothes, his swords, and a staff that he found under his parent's bed. They then ran outside of town, the din of battle still sounding in the distance.

The two were on the run for probably less than a few minutes, but it seemed like hours before they reached the evacuation pod. The tiny craft was triangle shaped and pure white in color, with room enough for two people. The craft was attached to a launching pad, and hummed with energy. Ja'kan pressed a button on the side of the pod, which opened the back door. He quickly threw the extra supplies and the staff into the pod, and then put Krystal inside.

"Don't worry. We'll come back and help the others, I promise." He said to her. Krystal continued to cry and shake with fear as Ja'kan walked over to the cockpit of the pod and opened it. He set the pod's autopilot to take them to the first planet that its sensors detected, and then initiated the launch countdown. The back door to the pod closed, and the computer console on the pod began to show Cerinian numerals as it counted down. Just then, several more soldiers popped out of the nearby bush, startling Ja'kan.

"You're not going anywhere, blue boy." One of the soldiers, a gruff looking dog, said. Ja'kan looked at the countdown. He knew he would have to hold them off until the pod took off, and it would be impossible for him to get on. In a selfless act of courage he decided to give his sister a chance to live by standing against to butchers himself. Krystal had climbed into the cockpit and watched as her brother drew his swords and readied himself for battle. The soldiers drew long bars from their belts that sparked blue at the end.

"I may not be leaving, but you will not harm my sister." Ja'kan said in a low voice, before leaping into the air and slashing one the soldiers down. Ja'kan then dived into the squad, hacking, slashing and blocking the soldier's weapons. Krystal watched in horror as the cockpit closed and locked. She realized that her brother was sacrificing himself to save her. She pounded on the class of the cockpit as the holding clamps gave way on the pod and it shot into the air. The pod blazed through the air until it reached the black emptiness of space. Well, not empty as a fleet of ships stood in front of her. By the grace of the Gods, they did not notice the pod as it flew under them. Krystal could see large racks being lowered from the bodies of the ships. The pod continued the fly until it was past the fleet. Just then Krystal turned around and saw giant rockets come out of the racks and impact with the surface of the planet. The rockets impacts created giant green shockwaves that ripped across the planet's surface, leaving barren rock in their place.

"Mama, Papa, Ja'kan, no!" Krystal cried in despair. When the full realization that she would never see her family again struck her, the young girl fell onto the floor of the pod and cried. She cried for the next several hours, finally crying herself to sleep.

_Oi vay! Can you believe it? 22 pages and over 10,000 words! But, finally I'm finished with the first chapter. Please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will not be tolerated. So long for now!_


	2. Today's the Day

_I'm back! I've so far gotten over 50 hits, so I've decided to put up the second chapter of my story. Hope you all enjoy._

_As before, I don't own anything relating to the Star Fox franchise. Nintendo owns the franchise._

Chapter One: Today's the Day

If there were any stars in the night sky, the ambient light from the mighty skyscrapers that made up Corneria City kept them from being seen. The lights of the city twinkled in the still darkness of the night, giving the appearance of thousands of fireflies. Throughout the sprawling metropolis, the citizenry were either asleep or preparing to go to sleep. Sleep wasn't coming to one such resident, however.

On the outskirts of the city, a solitary complex, like a small airport, sat in a large field. This was no airport, however. Sure, it had runways, a spaceport, and even a massive hangar big enough to probably store a battleship in, but this was in fact a residence. Next to hangar sat a rather ordinary looking, two-floor house, painted white with green windowpanes and roof tiles and steps leading up the front door. On the top floor of the house, a solitary figure fitfully tried to sleep. This figure, a russet-gold colored humanoid fox, was none other than Fox McCloud, leader of the famed Star Fox team, the heroes of both the Lylat War and the Aparoid Invasion. Right now, Fox was tossing and turning in his bed, unable to sleep. Desperate, he even tried the classic tactic of counting sheep, without much success. Finally, he gave up, and sat up in his bed, silently cursing. Fox, dressed in a pair of plaid sleeping pants and a white t-shirt, glanced over at his alarm clock. The red LED numerals gave the time as 2:00 am. Fox was rightly upset at this. Today was an important day for him, and one that was a long time coming.

He, Fox McCloud, hardened mercenary, was getting married in the morning.

During the whole war with the Aparoids, it would have truly taken a blind man not to notice his feelings for a certain blue fox. Ever since Krystal, the mysterious telepathic woman from the equally mysterious planet of Cerinia, joined the team, Fox had become a different man. Cool and collected most of the time, he practically turned to water when she spoke to him, blushing so much one could fry an egg on his face. Krystal, in turn, flirted with him every chance she got, so it was obvious to everyone on the ship that the feeling was mutual. However, when pressed about their feelings, both would deny any sort of affection. Peppy Hare, the teams official strategist and mentor to Fox, knew better. Finally, the day before they were due to hit the Aparoid homeworld, Fox came to Peppy late that night and confessed what had been obvious from the get-go, that he was in love with Krystal. Fox sighed again as he remembered that evening.

Fox stood by the window to the Great Fox's bridge, staring out into space. The team had just fought the Aparoids at the Orbital Gate, and was now en route to the Aparoid homeworld to deal with the menace once and for all. Fox was thinking, once again, about Krystal. Ever since he saw her trapped in stasis atop Krazoa palace on Saurian, he had been smitten with her. Of course, whenever one of his teammates questioned him about it, he vigorously denied having any feelings for her, but it was apparent that they all knew better. Fox had been thinking since the beginning of the invasion that every mission might be their last, and if he died, then his feelings died with him. So, he at long last decided to tell her the truth, but the question was, how? Fox desperately tried to come up with some way to tell her, but came up blank. Just then, he heard the hiss of the automatic door opening. He looked behind him to see Peppy Hare entering the room, dressed in a blue bathrobe and brown sleeping pants.

"_What's going on, Fox?" He asked. "I figured you'd been asleep now." Fox sighed._

"_I'm fine, Pep. Just… thinking." Fox replied. Peppy smiled, knowing full well what, or who, what Fox was thinking about._

"_You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Peppy said. Fox looked at him and nodded._

"_I can't get her off my mind, ever since the whole Dinosaur Planet episode." Fox said. "I know I've been denying it, Pep, but the truth is, I think I love her." Peppy couldn't help but smile. _

"_Well, I must say it's about time you fessed up." Peppy said. "No offense."_

"_None taken." Fox said. Peppy cleared his throat a little before continuing._

"_Now, if I may ask, what exactly is troubling you about this?" Peppy asked._

"_I want to tell her, but for some reason, I can't figure out how." Fox said. Peppy gave a chuckle. He had seen this before. A boy loved a girl, but got tongue-tied whenever he went to tell her. The boy's name was James McCloud, in love with a particularly beautiful girl named Vixy Reinard._

"_I see." Peppy said. "Well, let me give you some advice. You, Fox, have nothing to be worried about. I think the best way to tell her would be to just say it, right to her face."_

"_But, wouldn't that freak her out?" Fox asked. Peppy chuckled._

"_Not at all, Fox." He said. "I've seen the way she looks at you. I think she feels the same way, and is just waiting for you to make the first move." Fox gave it a thought, and smiled when he realized it all made sense. Krystal was smiling at him a lot, making excuses to talk to him, and even what seemed like flirting. It certainly seemed like she liked him. _

"_I'm gonna do it Peppy." Fox said with a smile. "I'm gonna tell her how I feel." Peppy smiled._

"_Good for you, Fox. I really think she's the one for you." He said. "But, let's get some sleep first. I don't know about you, but I'm beat."_

"_Good idea, Pep. I could use some sleep, too." Fox said with a yawn. Peppy gave a chuckle before heading off to his room. Fox stood by the window for a few more minutes, before leaving the bridge and heading back to his room._

Fox smiled as he remembered the next day. True to his form, he kept his promise and, at the first opportunity, pulled Krystal aside. Fox was terrified, but as Peppy suggested, he told her about how he felt. Fox fully expected Krystal to slap him, or scream and run away, but got the shock of his life when she grabbed him and kissed him passionately. With tears in her eyes, she told him that she had felt the same way the whole time, and had been waiting for him to realize it forever. With their relationship finally able to come to fruition, the two of them were soon inseparable.

Fox stumbled around in the dark, looking for the light switch to his room. He finally found it after nearly tripping over his wastebasket and banging his shin into his dresser. He flicked the light on, revealing the layout of his bedroom. His room, like his old quarters back on the Great Fox, the team's mothership until it's destruction during the final battle against the Aparoids, was simple. It had a bed big enough for one person, set off with a white comforter and flannel sheets. To the left of the headboard was a plain desk, which held a black laptop computer and a silver PAD (Personal Access Device). Slightly behind the bed was a white dresser, containing his clothes and a few personal items. Sitting on top of the desk was a silver and orange colored boombox. The solitary little window above the head of the bed looked out at the brilliantly lit skyline of Corneria City. Fox stood in place for a moment to get his bearings and allow the brief headache from the lights turning on to subside, and decided to head downstairs to fix himself a glass of warm milk. When he was a kid, warm milk always helped him to go back to sleep, so he figured it should help him this time. Stumbling slightly in his exhausted state, he hobbled down the stairs to the houses little kitchen. The kitchen itself was a simple affair, with a plain wooden table with four chairs in the center of the floor, and wooden cabinets and drawers lining the right left wall. The wooden countertop was touched off with a plain metal sink and faucet with two knobs, one for cold water and one for hot water. Fox stumbled over to the plain white refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk. He then walked over to the top left cabinet and pulled out a small glass. He poured some of the milk in the glass and then hobbled over to the sleek black microwave, placed the glass inside, and set the microwave for thirty seconds, just enough to get the milk warm. He slumped down into a chair at the head of the table and put his head in his arms, his eyes still stinging from tiredness.

As Fox waited for his milk to finish heating up, he heard a sharp ringing from the living room. That ringing was coming from his telephone. At two in the morning, somebody had the nerve to call him! It was probably some punkass teenagers doing prank calls. Growling, he stood up and grabbed his milk from the microwave, and then trudged angrily into the living room. Like the rest of the house, the living room was simple. The walls were covered with plain white wallpaper, and hugging the floor was light blue carpeting. The windows were set off with drapes that matched the carpeting exactly. In the middle of the floor stood a velvet green sectional couch with room for up to six people, a giant bigscreen TV, and a mahogany buffet table in front of the sectional.

Fuming over the early morning disturbance, Fox angrily grabbed the phone from its cradle and held it to his ear.

"Unless this is too important to wait until morning, you'd better hang the hell up and quick." Fox snarled into the phone. He about had a coronary when a cheerful, elderly voice answered him.

"I'm sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number." The unmistakable voice of Peppy Hare quipped over the line. "I'll try again in the morning."

"Wait, don't hang up!" Fox practically shouted into the phone. "I didn't know it was you, Pep." Peppy chuckled.

"Relax, Fox, your reaction is understandable." Peppy said. "If it had been me, I probably would've reached through the phone and choked the guy at the other end, if such a thing were possible." Both he and Fox gave a laugh at this remark.

"So, what's up Pep?" Fox asked, getting straight to the point. "What couldn't wait until the morning?"

"Ah, straight to the point. Just like another McCloud I used to know," Peppy said, "though if you want to be technical, it is the morning." Peppy joked. Hearing Fox moan slightly, Peppy cleared his throat before continuing. "I just called to tell you that Krystal got back."

"She did?" Fox asked. "When did this happen?"

"About an hour ago." Peppy answered. "I got a message from her over my PAD."

"I figured she would've been back earlier." Fox said. "She did say this ritual lasted for eight days, right?" Peppy gave an unnoticeable nod.

"Right you are, Fox. As of now, she had been out in the woods for eight days and nights, as Cerinian Scripture demands." Peppy said.

"I hope she'll be okay for the ceremony tomorrow." Fox said, quickly gulping down his milk. "She said this ritual was one of the most taxing in her people's religion."

"Well Fox, I imaging being out in the woods for eight days and nights, living off of class C field rations and doing nothing but meditate would take a lot out of you." Peppy said with a chuckle. Fox winced when he heard this. Class C field rations were emergency rations, the most meager of meager, certainly not something to live off of. "But don't worry, Fox, she told me she was just fine, and that she was ready for tomorrow." Fox smiled.

"Thanks for calling, Pep, but I need to get back to sleep. It's big day tomorrow." Fox said.

"I'll let you catch your forty winks, then." Peppy said. "Or, at least as many as you can before nine." Fox gave a little laugh.

"Bye, Pep." Fox said.

"Bye, Fox. Have a good night's sleep." Peppy replied before hanging up. Fox hung up the phone, then walked back into the kitchen and put his glass in the sink before heading back up to his room. He lay back down in his bed and pulled the covers back over him. Strangely, he found himself not overcome with fitfulness like before. Whether it was the milk, or the knowledge that Krystal had returned safe and sound, he didn't care to know. He simply closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him.

**the next morning**

Fox was awakened the next morning by the shrill blaring of his alarm clock. He growled and fumbled around until he located the off switch for his alarm. He wasted no time in flipping it to the "off" position. He pulled the covers off of himself and sat up in bed, giving off a yawn as he did so. He glanced over at his clock and saw that the time read 9:00 am. He had about three hours to get ready for the wedding. He rubbed the remaining sleep out of his jade green eyes before climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom at the end of the hall. He opened the door to the bathroom and flipped on the light switch, revealing a simple room with white wallpaper, and a simple sink, shower and toilet. Fox walked over to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror.

"Blech." He muttered when he saw his reflection. His eyes betrayed his tired state, and he could see the slightest hint of yellow crust around the edges. His fur was ruffled and slightly moist from sweat. Fox turned on the faucet and cupped his hands under the cold stream of water that poured from the faucet. When there was a sufficient amount pooled in his cupped hands, he threw them up and splashed the water onto his face. He grabbed a towel from a nearby towel rack and wiped the water from his face and muzzle. When he looked back in the mirror, the eye crust had disappeared, and he looked more awake and alert than before. He immediately disrobed and stepped into the shower, turning the water to a gentle eighty degrees on the digital temperature gauge. Despite the low temperature, he still yelped when the hot water touched his fur. After his body had adjusted to the hot water, he grabbed a nearby bottle of fur soap and squeezed a dollop onto an outstretched paw. He then lathered the soap all over his body, careful to get everything, and rinsed it off, careful not to get any in his eyes. Once this was done, he turned off the water, and grabbed another, larger towel from the towel rack to dry himself off. He rubbed himself down thoroughly, making sure his fur was soft, something he knew Krystal would appreciate. Once he was finished, he wrapped the towel around himself and went back to his bedroom to get dressed for the ceremony.

Fox walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. Sitting inside and to the left was a neatly pressed black tuxedo and bowtie. Fox pulled this, along with a pair of boxers, white dress shirt, and black dress socks, out of the drawer and laid it out on his bed. Fox let the towel drop the floor and quickly pulled on his boxers. He then picked up his dress shirt and put it on, making sure to match up every button exactly. After he finished buttoning up, he pulled his tuxedo pants on, tucking his shirt in before doing them up. Finally, he picked up his tuxedo jacket and slipped it on over his dress shirt. He then picked up his bowtie and walked over to the mirror located in the corner of his room to put it on.

Fox, being to leader of his own squadron, was a master at coming up with complex tactical plans and maneuvers, so one would think that something as simple as putting on a tie would be easy for him. However, the tie proved to be as fickle as General Pepper's personal aide. Try as he might, he simply couldn't remember how to tie the thing on.

"Stupid piece of crap." He muttered under his breath. "I can reduce an Venomian base to cinders, but I can't do this damned tie up. What else could possibly go wrong?" He thought to himself. He quickly shoved that thought out of the way, hoping he wouldn't jinx everything. He quickly focused back on trying to do up his tie. His mind became so focused, he didn't hear the sound of someone knocking on his front door, nor did he notice the sound of said front door opening and footsteps coming up the stairs to his room. He was finally jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of someone knocking, this time on his bedroom door.

"Fox, you in there?" Fox smiled when he recognized the voice as none other than Peppy Hare. He opened the door, to be greeted by the aforementioned hare, already dressed in his tuxedo. "Ah, there you are. For a second I thought you were still asleep."

"What time did you get up, Pep?" Fox asked. Peppy gave a chuckle.

"Actually, not much earlier than you did. Need help with your tie?" Peppy said, noticing Fox's tie hanging off of his neck.

"Could you?" Fox said. "The thing is driving me insane." Peppy laughed as he reached over and began adjusting Fox's tie. Much to Fox's chagrin, Peppy did it up in practically seconds. Peppy gave another laugh at the crossed look on Fox's face.

"So Fox, you ready?" Peppy asked, turning his attention away from the tie.

"About as ready as I'll ever be." Fox said. "But to tell you the truth, I'm nervous as hell." Peppy smiled.

"That's a funny thing, Fox." He said. "Because I remember a certain other McCloud saying that exact same thing to me on his wedding day." Fox smiled, knowing instantly who it was Peppy was talking about.

"And I guess the next thing your going to say is 'And everything turned out alright with them', right?" He said.

"Well, obviously. You're here, aren't you?" Peppy said with a chuckle. Fox couldn't help but laugh as well. Fox then straightened out his tuxedo and grabbed a pair of black dress shoes from near the door. After putting them on, he turned back to Peppy.

"Well, what do you say we get this show on the road?" Fox asked.

"I couldn't agree more, Fox." Peppy said, gesturing towards the door. Fox walked out the door, down the stairs, and through the front door with Peppy in tow. Peppy's car, a black Cemara 200 Sedan, sat in the driveway of the spaceport-like dwelling that the entire team shared. The car was shaped like a stereotypical sports car with smooth, curving lines along the body, except that it had four doors and seating for four people, one driver and three passengers. The interior of the car had tan upholstery and leather seats. The dashboard had all digital gauges for speed, RPM, fuel, and so forth. Fox opened the front passenger side door and sat down, careful not to wrinkle his tuxedo with the seatbelt. Peppy sat down in the drivers seat and started the vehicle. The engine idled to life with a dull rumble, followed by Peppy pulling out of the driveway and driving off down the street in the direction of Corneria City.

The entire ride into the city took less than ten minutes, which surprised Peppy and Fox. Normally the roads leading into the city were crowded with motorists headed into town to work. They reasoned that the extensive repairs the city needed following the Aparoid attack was still being done, meaning that many people still had yet to go back to work. This was confirmed when the reached the downtown area, a place once bustling with myriads of shops and colorful holographic ads but was now occupied by massive cranes and countless numbers of construction workers repairing and rebuilding the structures. Fox gaped at the size of the reconstruction efforts.

"You'd think that after six months, they'd be finished with most of the rebuilding." He remarked as they passed a construction crew putting up a new store.

"Yes, you'd think they would be." Peppy replied. "I guess the Aparoids did more damage then we were aware." Fox nodded, remembering that they were absent during the time when the Aparoids attacking Corneria were upping the ferocity of the attack. They had gone off to attack the Aparoid Homeworld, leaving the Cornerian Defense Force soldiers to fend for themselves. The Aparoid attackers, from what the surviving soldiers told them, simply charged into their lines head on, fighting with both laser and claw. By the end of the attack on the homeworld, where the queen was infected with the apoptosis gene and destroyed, the normally ivory white buildings of Corneria City turned red with the blood of hundreds of soldiers, who despite the odds, stood their ground and fought the Aparoid invaders, many making the ultimate sacrifice to protect their homes and families. It was said that the CDF, and indeed all of Corneria, had never seen a finer hour. Fox's musings were cut short by the sound of Peppy's voice.

"Wake up, Fox. We're here." The elderly hare said. Fox shook himself out of his thoughts as the Corneria City Chapel came into view. The chapel was a marvelous piece of architecture, even for a place like Corneria City. The main body of the chapel was trapezoidal in shape. Both sides of the massive structure were lined with equally massive stained glass windows, depicting various religious images and quotes from Scripture. Seven massive, cone-shaped spires topped the roof of the chapel, each containing a loudspeaker that blared out bell tones every Sunday at 8:00 in the morning, calling the faithful of Corneria City to worship. The entire structure was painted a brilliant ivory white, so bright that it stood out even amongst the skyscrapers that stood beside it. The intricateness and beauty of the building's design, along with the buildings sheer size, mesmerized Fox as they parked right in front of chapel gate. As the two of them exited the vehicle, Fox took one last look at the downtown area. Despite the rebuilding that was still going on, life had returned to the city. The holographic ads that made this section of the city famous had once again been lit, now more brilliantly than ever before. The myriad of lights and sounds blended together to create a rainbow of color that rivaled anything nature could produce.

"Fox." Peppy interrupted while tapping Fox on the shoulder. Fox turned around. "You coming?" Fox nodded, and the two of them turned and entered the front gate of the chapel.

Some people said that the Corneria City Chapel was like a geode rock. It's true beauty lay on the inside. When one saw the inside of the chapel, this saying turned out to be true. The floor was covered in rich velvet carpeting, which highlighted the polished oak pews, which were assembled in rows of eight on either side of the chapel. The light from the early morning sun shone through the stained glass windows, bathing the immense room with a palette of blues, reds, greens, and other colors. At the front of the room stood the centerpiece of the entire affair, a massive golden altar, polished until it shone like the rising sun, capped off with a giant four-pointed star crafted from gold. In the middle of the star was set a massive ruby, rumored to be the largest in the entire Lylat System. The morning light made the great jewel shimmer and sparkle, as thought the light of the Messiah himself had entered the jewel, and was now radiating out from it for the faithful to see and revere.

The sheer beauty of the worship room was not lost on the few people who now stood at the altar and sat in the pews. Standing at the altar were three men, all dressed in black tuxedos. One was a blue falcon with red markings around his eyes, who fidgeted around, as if his tuxedo made him uncomfortable. That was not a far off assumption. This falcon was none other than Falco Lombardi, Star Fox's ace pilot and all-around badass. Right now, he was thinking about how ridiculous he looked in a tuxedo, and longing for his normal day wear, which consisted of a plain jeans, t-shirt, and black leather jacket, stereotypical biker wear which reflected his past as a bike club member back on Zoness.

To Falco's left, a short figure stood, clad in the same black tuxedo, this time with a red flower stuck in his left breast pocket. The early morning light that filtered in through the stained glass windows caused his deep green skin to shine. Yes, that's right, green skin, for the figure that stood next to Falco was none other than Slippy Toad. He was, as his surname suggested, a toad, short and squat, with the great bulging eyes that characterized his species. In addition to his tuxedo, he sported his signature red baseball cap, his "lucky cap" which he was never seen without. Right now, he simply stood in place with a massive grin on his face.

On Falco's right was another figure, this one dressed in unique attire. Rather than the usual tuxedo, this one wore a blue military uniform jacket over a standard white dress shirt and bowtie, along with a pair of blue uniform pants with a gold stripe going down each leg on one side. On his uniform coat, he sported an array of colorful ribbons and medals, some with gold and silver stars and letters on them, an pin above the medals shaped like a shield with a golden starburst insignia on the shield, capped off with a pair of arching eagle's wings, and gold colored epaulettes on his shoulders. On his uniform collar, two pairs of insignia, looking like four overlapping pentagons with stars in the center, were pinned. Rounding off this attire was a pair of expertly polished uniform shoes and uniform white gloves. Held in these gloved hands was a blue uniform cap with a black brim, upon which were lines of silver cloud shaped markings with lightning bolts punching through them. The figure had the visage of a wolf/husky cross, with a pair of piercing yet gentle blue eyes capping it off. This figure was none other than Fox's old classmate from the Lylatian Military Academy, William T. Grey, known simply as "Bill" to his friends. He had been granted time off from his duties as Commander of the 8542nd Space Fighter Squadron on Katina to be Fox's best man at his wedding (he suspected that General Pepper himself had called his Machiavellian Brigadier, Harold Cartwright, and threatened him with a transfer to a Venom security detail if he didn't let Bill go). So, he now found himself at the Corneria City Chapel, dressed in full CDF mess dress, standing on the old megachurch's altar waiting for Fox and Peppy to arrive. As if on cue, the oaken front door to the church opened, and Fox and Peppy entered. Falco turned his head to the doorway with a grin on his face.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." He said with great amusement. "Welcome back to the land of the living there Sleeping Beauty." Bill and Slippy snickered.

'You're a riot, Falco." Fox said as he and Peppy made their way down the aisle to the altar. "Oh, and by the way, you might want to fix your tie. The clips falling off." Bill and Slippy snickered again, this time joined by Peppy. Falcon simply grumbled and reached down to adjust his tie. Fox climbed up to his spot right in the center of the altar, right in front of the great star, and turned to Bill.

"So Bill, Old Man Cartwright finally gave you some leave, huh?" Fox said with a smile.

"Yeah." Bill replied. "But I think Pepper had to tell him he'd send him to Sector Three on Venom unless he gave me time off." Fox cringed. Sector Three was the area where Andross had placed most of his industry during the Lylat War, thus making it _the _most polluted area on the whole planet. The air was choked with smog and gas, and the once pristine blue lakes of the region were transformed into toxic sludge pits. These conditions made it a detail most officers would take over their cold, dead bodies. "Oh, had Krystal gotten back in yet? Peppy said this thing she was doing was eight days, right?"

"Peppy says she got in last night around two." Fox replied.

"It must be rough, having to spend eight days and nights out in the wilderness alone, doing nothing except meditating." Slippy chimed in. "If it was me, I would have gone crazy."

"Or starved to death." Falco quipped. Slippy scowled.

"Stop joking my weight, Falco!" Slippy shouted. Falco just laughed, while Fox, Bill, and Peppy just rolled their eyes. Just then, they heard the sound of cars pulling into the church parking lot.

"Alright guys, places." Peppy said. "The guests are arriving." Falco, Bill, and Slippy got back into their places on the altar, whilst Fox just stood in place. Peppy went over to the doorway so he could greet the guests as they arrived. Just as he got there, the doors opened, and the first of the guests stepped into the chapel. Peppy instantly recognized them as Patrick and Elena Phoenix, Fara Phoenix's parents. The two fennecs were elegantly dressed, Patrick wearing an expensive black velvet tuxedo, and Elena going with a jade green formal gown with matching dress heels.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Phoenix, what a pleasant surprise." Peppy said with a smile, which Patrick Phoenix returned warmly.

"Well, old friend, you didn't think we'd miss dear Fox's wedding now, did you?" Patrick, a russet-gold, slightly heavyset fennec with piercing yet warm gray eyes replied. "Besides, our daughter is the maid of honor. We didn't have much choice." Both he and Peppy chuckled lightly at this. Peppy knew that the Phoenix's wouldn't miss the wedding for the world. They had known Fox practically since the day he was born, through their dealings with his father during Star Fox's early days, and had come to see him as an sort of adopted son, especially after the deaths of Fox's parents.

"We were wondering where the bride was." Elena, a light brown, almost tan fennec with emerald green eyes that radiated kindness, chimed in. "Fara was going to take her to get herself done up for the ceremony."

"She's just returned from her _umaikara_. I heard from her just last night." Peppy replied. Elena nodded.

"Is it true she spent eight days in the wild alone?" Patrick asked.

"Oh yes." Peppy replied. "It's the one of the most arduous rituals in her people's religion. It requires her to spend all eight days meditating, and she has to go without much food." Both Patrick and Elena cringed at hearing this.

"Perhaps I should tell the caterers to prepare extra meals." Patrick quipped, soliciting another chuckle from Peppy. Just then, Fox walked over from the altar to greet them.

"Ah, Fox, my boy." Patrick said, shaking Fox's hand. Elena came up and wrapped him in a hug.

"How are you, Fox?" She said. Fox smiled.

"Never better." Fox said with a smile. Elena smiled and released her hug on Fox before going back over to her husband. "Oh, and thanks for those shield upgrades on the arwings. They really saved my life, more than once." He added, remembering Star Fox's recent missions.

"It was no trouble, my boy." Patrick replied. "We're always glad to help you out." Fox nodded and smiled, as other guests began to filter into the church. The church began to fill with an array of colors as people in various tuxedoes and formal gowns entered the church and filled the pews and aisle, idly chatting and waiting for the ceremony to begin. Fox recognized a few of them, teachers from his school days, instructors from the academy (retired), and even a few of his old neighbors and classmates. The highlight, however, had to be the entrance of Krystal's bridesmaids, who had shown up early because Cerinian marriage traditions said the bride must enter the temple alone, with only flower girls preceding her. First to enter was none other than Fara Phoenix, Fox's closest friend and former love interest. A beautiful young woman, with her father's russet-gold fur and her mother's kind emerald eyes, she had served as a test pilot for her father's company, Space Dynamics, before attending college to earn a masters degree in aerospace engineering. It was her research into artificial gravity that led to the development of the Gravity Diffuser, or G-Diffuser for short. This device, the famous "blue wings" which were mounted on the back of the team's spacecraft, generated a field of artificial gravity around the craft, which enabled it to perform extremely aerodynamic maneuvers and accelerate to nearly 5 the speed of light without harming the pilot. This ingenious device proved to be a lifesaver on many of Star Fox's missions, as the team was forced to push the Arwings to the very limits of their performance capabilities, and usually ended up performing maneuvers that would kill a pilot in a ship without a G-Diffuser system. The main drawback to the system was that it utilized advanced mechanics that were devilishly difficult, even for a mechanical genius like Slippy, to maintain.

Following closely behind her was a most unusual young woman, in the form of a pink-furred cat with dazzling blue eyes, short blond hair, and a soft country accent. This woman was the aptly named Katt Monroe, a former street rat-turned mercenary, and Falco's current ladylove. A soft-spoken woman from the Zoness resort city of Crystal Glen, she first became acquainted with the Star Fox team during the Lylat War, when the team was sent to Zoness to destroy Andross' bioweapon labs on the many islands poking up out of the planet wide ocean. In order to make their run on the labs, the team first had to launch a coordinated strike against the bases "searchlights", the code name given to the massive sensor arrays Andross had erected to detect and destroy attacking aircraft. Fox, Slippy, and Peppy destroyed their targets without much difficulty, but the targeting system in Falco's Arwing malfunctioned, causing the Nova Bomb he launched to go off target. This in turn caused the base to go on full alert, and scramble fighters to intercept him. Falco would have been roasted then and there, if not for the pink fighter that swooped in and destroyed the offending fighters, allowing Falco to destroy his target. The pilot of the fighter was none other than Katt, who had been harassing Andross' forces on Zoness, forcing him to erect the sensor arrays in the first place. Katt, who was furious over the horrendous pollution that Andross bioweapon research had scoured the once-beautiful oceans of Zoness with, offered to aid the team in their mission on the planet. Falco, who had known her since his early days on Zoness and knew she was an extremely skilled pilot, heartily agreed that she should help. To make a long story short, the team allowed her to help, and reduced the labs to cinders. Fox, impressed with Katt's piloting skills, offered her a spot on the pilot roster, but she turned it down, saying she preferred to work solo. She left soon after the team finished mopping up the remainder of Andross' forces on Zoness. It was to find her that was Falco's motivation for leaving the team shortly after the end of the war. Katt sauntered into place next to Fara, winking at Falco as she did so. Falco returned the wink, and even blew her a kiss, something that surprised the rest of the team, as Falco was rarely so open in public.

Bringing up the rear was a vixen who, with her russet-gold fur and jade green eyes, could have been Fox's clone. In a way, she kind of was. She was Fox's twin sister, Marie McCloud, who he had just recently found. Like Fox, she had a love for adventure and for flying, plus an warm and loving attitude that could warm the heart of anyone. Like the rest of the bridesmaids, she wore a pink strapless formal dress with a light pink, almost white, rose pinned to her chest, and was carrying a bouquet of white forget-me-nots, a traditional symbol of love and faithfulness. Like her mother, she had lovely, long black hair that shined in the sunlight filtering through the windows. She smiled at her brother, who walked over and hugged her.

"Thanks for coming, sis. It means a lot." Fox said.

"My brother's getting married. How could I not come?" She said. Fox laughed lightly and released his hug on her before stepping back. Katt likewise walked over and hugged Fox.

"Aw, Fox, how are ya?" She said. Fox smiled and returned the hug.

"We're all fine, Katt. It's good to be home." Fox replied. Prior to returning to Corneria, the team had been on patrol in Sector X, helping the depleted and beleaguered CDF fleet safeguard the area's busy trade lanes. With the casualties they suffered during both the Venomian Uprising under Andross' nephew, Andrew Oikonny, and the Aparoid Invasion, they had greatly appreciated the help Star Fox gave them while they rebuilt the fleet.

"It's good to have you home." Fara chimed in. "We've all missed you guys. Especially Marie over here."

"Aw, shucks." Falco said in return. "I don't know what to say." The vixens all giggled in response.

"Well, I'll assume with all the giddy voices in the air, that we're nearly set to begin." A voice chimed in from behind them. They all turned around to see the priest, Father Timothy O'Mally, standing in front of the altar. A tall Labrador retriever with hazel eyes and a gruff, strong voice, O'Mally was dressed in a set of rich emerald green robes, a purple sash depicting the star emblem of the Messiah on the right side, a book of Scripture on the left. In his hands he held a brown leather book, containing all the Liturgies of the Church. The book was currently opened to the page depicting the Liturgy of the Sacrament of Matrimony, the second most holy in Church belief, next to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, or Holy Supper.

"I just a few minutes, Father." Fox said. "We're still waiting for the rings to get here, and of course the bride."

"Good." O'Mally replied. "Tell me, how is she? Krystal, I mean."

"Well Father, we've got good news and bad news." Peppy said. A look of concern crossed O'Mally's elderly features.

"The good news is she returned safe and sound." Fox said.

"And the bad news?" O'Mally asked, slightly confused.

"The bad news is she hasn't eaten much in eight days, so it doesn't look like anybody's gonna get any cake." Falco quipped. The entire assembly erupted into laughter. After the laughter had died down, O'Mally cleared his throat.

"Let me make sure I understand this." He said. "Krystal will be entering alone?"

"Well, almost alone." Peppy replied. "She'll be preceded by flower girls, but that's it. The rings will be in Fara and Bill's safekeeping." O'Mally nodded.

"I also understand that there will be a person singing during the service?" He asked.

"A request by Krystal." Fox said. "Her people had a song that was sung at weddings. It tells the story of a God and Goddess who fell in love and established the tradition of marriage, I forgot who their names were."

"Of course." O'Mally replied with a smile. "Who will be performing the song?"

"I will." Fara replied. "Krystal taught me the song, in Cerinian." Just then, the church doors opened, revealing two forms. One was a grey-furred vulpine with deep brown eyes, and the other was an eight year old mix of vulpine and fennec with russet-gold fur and brown eyes. Both were wearing black tuxedos, and the boy held a large, velvet-covered box in his hands. Fara smiled as the two of them made their way up the aisle to the altar.

"Cutting it kinda close, aren't you." She said to the man, who smirked in reply.

"Well, better almost late than never, right?" He said with a laugh. Fara simply rolled her eyes at her husband, Ted Phoenix, before turning to her eight year old son, Kevin Phoenix and scooping him up into a hug. Kevin squeaked as his mother squeezed him.

"Stop it, mom! You're squishing me!" He squeaked as Fara squeezed him.

"Aw, you look so handsome." Fara cooed. "Just like your father." Kevin just tried to wiggle his way out of his mother's embrace.

"Well, he won't be if you kill him." Fox joked from behind them, getting a laugh from the rest of them. "Isn't that right, little buddy?" A smile crossed Kevin's face.

"Yeah!" He yipped as Fara released her hug on him. "I won't be if she kills me!" Fox chuckled and ruffled Kevin's head affectionately. One couldn't help but love little Kevin Phoenix, and indeed, Fox had come to view the kid as a nephew. Kevin had even begun to call him "Uncle Fox", even though the two had no blood relation. Fara couldn't help but smile. Fox was always so kind with Kevin, and it pleased her to no end that the two had such a close relationship. He would make a wonderful father.

The sun had risen over the city skyline, giving the sky it's traditional azure blue color. White puffs of cloud filled the sky, like cotton balls stuck onto a blue painted diorama for a schoolchild's class project. The presented scene was beautiful to the middle-aged kangaroo that stood on the front stoop to the chapel. His piercing gray eyes scanned the horizon, watching the hover vehicles zip their way through the city like a trail of ants. The man was the wedding planner. He had just returned from overseeing the final preparations for the reception following the ceremony, and had stopped on the stoop to have himself a cigarette before heading back in to attend the service. He reached into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a windproof lighter. In practically one motion, pulled out a cigarette and lit the lighter. As he brought it to the cigarette in his mouth, he noticed a hover van pull up. The side door to the van opened, and a cadre of little girls in formal gowns pulled up. It didn't take the planner long to figure out who they are. They were the flower girls who had volunteered to participate in the wedding ceremony. If they were here, than that meant only one thing…

"Well, looks like it's time to get this show on the road." He said. An adult poodle climbed out of the car behind the kids, dressed in the same blue formal gown that they were wearing. The planner dropped his cigarette on the ground and put his lighter back into his pocket before walking over to the adult.

"Am I to assume that this means the bride is on her way?" He asked the woman. The woman hurried the girls over to the entrance, handing them baskets of pink flower petals on the way.

"Not on her way." The woman replied. "She's already here." The woman then gestured over to the rear window of the van. The planner gasped at what he saw. Sitting in the back was none other than the soon-to-be Krystal McCloud, her face partially obscured by the white veil over her face, the jewel on her tiara sparkling. She smiled and waved at the planner, who simply cursed under his breath.

"Shit!" He muttered so that the flower girls couldn't here his dirty language. He than turned to the woman. "I need to get everyone ready. Keep everyone out here until I give the signal, okay." The woman nodded in agreement, and the planner rushed back into the church to inform the congregation that the bride had arrived.

"And when I reached to center of the complex, all hell broke loose." Fox said, narrating to everyone his latest mission, to capture a gang leader who was wanted by the Cornerian government for involvement in drug trafficking. "It turns out the guy had his own private army. Somehow, he managed to get his hands on some old Venomian fighters and weapons and taught his thugs how to use them. Well, lucky for me, half the stuff he had I had fought before, so I knew exactly what to do…" Fox was interrupted by the front doors suddenly opening and the wedding planner rushing into the church, panting from all the running.

"Whoa, dude, slow down!" Falco quipped as the planner rushed in. "Where's the fire?" The planner simply stared at him.

"I'll tell you where the fire is." The planner replied. "It's sitting in a van outside, waiting for this show to get on the road." The rest of the assembly instantly knew what, or rather who, the planner was referring too. Fox's eyes shot wide open, to the point where one could half fit a half-dollar in them.

"She's here!" He shouted in shock. The planner nodded.

"Well then," Peppy said, "It's time to get this show on the road. Kevin, the rings." Kevin opened the felt covered box he was carrying and pulled out two rings, both gold. There were not gems on these rings. They were the wedding bands, two plain gold rings, which served as a symbol of the couple's final union. Kevin took the precious rings and handed them to their respective holders, Fox's to Fara, and Krystal's to Bill. After this had gone down, the planner clapped his hands.

"Alright! Places everybody!" He called to the assembled congregation, who all promptly sat down in their pews. Bill, Falco, and Slippy took their places on the steps leading up to the altar, while Fara, Katt, and Marie took theirs on the other side. Peppy said down in the front row directly in front of the groomsmen, while Fox and Father O'Malley took their places upon the altar. The wedding planner smoothed back his rapidly graying headfur before making his way back to the door. After looking back to make sure everything and everyone was in its place, he leaned out the door and beckoned to someone outside. Almost immediately, a slew of flower girls entered the church, split into groups of four and tossing flower petals down in the aisle as they made their way to the altar. Once they reached the altar, they split into two groups and went to opposite sides of the field. The wedding planner leaned out the front door again and again beckoned to someone outside the church. Everyone readied themselves for the bride's entrance. Fox was beginning to sweat bullets. The only time he could remember feeling so nervous was when he was flying into the heart of Venom to face Andross himself, and to be honest he would have been more comfortable doing that than what he was doing now. He looked briefly down at his paws, which were shaking violently and practically dripping with sweat. He tried to wipe them off in the pockets of his trousers, but it wouldn't be long before they were soaked again.

The massive front doors to the church once again opened, bathing the entire room with an almost heavenly light. Fox's attention, and that of everyone in the church, was set on the figure that stood in the middle of the doorway, partially obscured by the sunlight. Almost immediately, Fara began belting out the Cerinian wedding song she had learned, flawlessly singing each and every note.

_"You know, I never noticed before how good a singer Fara was." _Fox said to himself. _"But then again, I never notice such… dude, not now! Concentrate!"_ Fox scolded himself, forcing himself to focus on the aisle, where Krystal was now beginning to make her way up to the altar.

Fox's thoughts about Fara's singing were quickly pushed aside when he saw her. The sunlight coming in through the doorway gave the appearance that she was surrounded by an angelic aura. Her strapless wedding gown was pearly white and covered in tiny, sparkling rime stones, further enhancing this appearance. The dress was cut just enough for one to see the branded tattoos on her thighs. She wore her golden tiara with ruby setting, and a set of golden bracelets etched with Cerinian letters, and her signature golden necklace with large emerald setting, giving her a sparkle that was only enhanced by the joyous glow that was emanating from her eyes. Fox simply stood there, his mouth agape at the scene that presented itself to him. All Krystal needed was a pair of wings sprouting from her back, and she could have passed for an angel. Hell, she _was _an angel, as far as he was concerned.

Krystal made her way up to the altar, stepping in tune to Fara's singing. She moved so delicately, she appeared to float her way along the aisle. Fox's nerves began to make themselves known even more. His nervous jittering had become violent, and he was sweating even more. Peppy noticed this, and gave the terrified vulpine a reassuring smile. Fox noticed, and smiled back. Peppy had the ability to calm anyone with a simple look, and it was definitely helping now as Krystal stepped up to her place on the altar, turning to face her husband-to-be. Like Peppy, she noticed Fox's nerves, and gave him a smile of her own. As if by some magic spell, Fox's nervous jittering disappeared, replaced by a calmness he rarely experienced. By then, Fara had wrapped up her song, and Father O'Malley cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

"And so it begins." He whispered before he began the ceremony. Fox took one of Krystal's hands in both of his, looking at her with eyes full of the deepest love and affection.

**Science Station K-45, Orbiting Planet 44619, Sector P**

Far away from the bustling worlds of the Lylat system sat a lonely science station. The station itself was not unlike any of the countless other stations that were positioned around newly discovered planets. Steel gray in color, the station almost resembled a dinner plate, with a cylindrical stability unit, stabilizers glowing fiery red, positioned underneath the structure, and giant solar panels soaking up the sunlight from the planet's star spinning slowly around the structure. Stenciled on the side of the saucer, in bold block letters, was the designation "K-45", the station's official designation number, and below that was a circular field of stars with a flying starburst emblem orbiting it, the symbol of the Aeronautics and Space Research Bureau of the Cornerian Science Department. The structure was orbiting a planet that at first glance appeared to consist only of ocean, but when one looked at the side being illuminated by the sun, one could see the outline of a single massive continent, set into the middle of the great ocean like a multicolored gem. The beautiful scene below the station stood in stark contrast to the inside. The bowels of the station were to same bland steel gray color of the rest of it. Fluorescent lights lined the metal corridors, bathing them in harsh light. The empty corridors made for a bland, uninteresting scene. This all changed when one entered the control room in the center of the structure. Though illuminated by the same harsh fluorescent lights as the rest of the station, the bland interior was replaced by a vibrant display of lights and colors from the myriad of computer terminals and sensor readouts covering the walls. On one wall was a large mural depicting the ASRB logo, painted in vivid color and detail. The room was filled with a soft orchestra of beeps and whirs from the racks of computer banks taking in and storing all the data coming in from the sensors aimed at the planet's surface.

At one of the computer terminals sat one of the researchers permanently attached to this backwater research station, a graying, middle-aged coyote with dark brown, almost black, eyes and a thin figure. A cigarette was permanently jammed into his thin, graying muzzle, a bored look plastered on his face. The scientist was Dr. Rod Dahlgren, a biologist specializing in planetary ecology. Right now, he was watching the planetary sensor arrays, looking for signs of life forms on the planet. K-45, a special moving science station that could be sent to new planets via warp jump, was designed to monitor newly discovered planets for signs of life. The ASRB was constantly on the lookout for new life forms, to study and increase their knowledge of the universe and it's many inhabitants. But so far, Planet 44619 had proved to be a dead rock. Sure, there was plenty of plant life, but nothing interesting had appeared on any of the land-based sensors scattered about the planet's single continent. Plenty of readings had come in from the underwater sensors on the seabed, but so far nothing on land. The strain of nearly ten hours of watching the sensor displays was beginning to take its toll on Dahlgren. He was currently nursing his fifth cigarette, and he still had another couple of hours to go on his shift.

He sighed as another negative reading came in on the screen in front of him. The station had been running scans of the planet for the past couple of days, and now they were nearing the end of the planetary survey. That was small comfort to the scientists working on the survey. For them, each day was another spell of monotony in a series of such spells. Dahlgren himself was about ready to fall asleep at his console, he was so bored from the endless series of negative readings. He felt his eyes begin to droop, but just as he was about to fall asleep, the computer chimed in.

"Alert, unidentified signal detected." The computer's bland voice announced over the intercom. Dahlgren was immediately shaken out of his torpor and turned to where an indicator was blinking on the monitor. Dahlgren got up from his chair and walked over to the offending monitor. He clicked a few keys on the computer screen and brought up an image of the detected signal. The computer graphed the signal as a blue wave signature, similar to a communications signal. But there was something strange about this signature. The frequency of the signal was too low to be any known communications signal, and it had peaks in areas that were atypical of standard communications frequencies. Dahlgren was, to say the least, puzzled by this strange signal.

"Computer, on what band is this signal traveling?" He asked the computer. The computer beeped a few times as it analyzed the signal's bandwidth.

"Signal is traveling on a low E-band." The computer replied. Dahlgren was puzzled even further. The e-band was a range of electromagnetic frequency that was never used as a communications format because the frequency was so low. He knew that collapsing protostars sometimes emitted e-band emissions, but there were no known protostars in the vicinity of the planet, and the signal was coming from the planet's surface, which did not occur in nature.

"Computer, try to localize the source of the emission." Dahlgren ordered. The computer beeped in response as the analysis began. Dahlgren, in true scientific fashion, became completely focused on the mystery at hand. He stared, face displaying no emotion, as the computer calculated the signal's location.

**back at the church**

"And if any of you should have reason why these two should not be wed, please speak now, or forever hold you peace." Father O'Malley spoke to the assembled congregation. Not surprisingly, the church was as silent as a tomb, no one wanting to split up what practically the entire system saw as the perfect couple (no thanks to the endless mass of magazine articles and television specials devoted to the topic). Father O'Malley silently chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised?" He asked himself, before clearing his throat and continuing. "Then please present the rings." Bill and Fara, who were holding Krystal's and Fox's rings, respectably, walked up to the two of them and handed them their respective ring. Once each ring was in hand, Bill and Fara both went back to their respective places on the altar.

"Fox McCloud, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love her and cherish her, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both draw breath?" Fox stared lovingly into his bride-to-be's eyes before answering.

"I do." He replied. O'Malley then turned to Krystal, who was smiling with deepest affection at Fox. If one looked closely, one could see tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"And do you, Krystal, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love him and cherish him, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both draw breath." Tears, which were barely noticeable before now, began to slide their way down her slender face.

"I do." She answered in a somewhat shaky voice. O'Malley smiled, before shutting the liturgy book and wrapping up the service.

"Then by the power vested in me by the almighty Messiah, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Without hesitation, Fox and Krystal embraced each and locked into a passionate kiss. The world around them became and empty void, the thunderous applause that had erupted throughout the church became inaudible. In that moment, their world consisted only of themselves and the feelings of deep love and passion that invaded their beings. They would have stayed in this blissful state forever, but a cough from Father O'Malley brought them out of their passion.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I believe you have a reception to attend." Fox and Krystal both gaped in realization, and then turned to the assembled honor attendants.

"Well, what do you guys say? You all ready for a party." Big grins crossed the faces of the three males upon the altar.

"Hell yeah!" Falco whooped. "Let's kick this shindig off right!" The others all whooped in agreement. Fox and Krystal simply laughed, and took their traditional trip down the aisle as newlyweds, showered by a seemingly unending torrent of rice grains tossed at them by the guests. Fox turned to look at his new wife, who stared at him with a look of the purest joy on her face. They were, at last, together, and nothing on Corneria or in Heaven was going to separate them.

**Science Station K-45**

Dr. Dahlgren focused his attention on the display that had appeared in front of him. A 3D map of the planet had appeared, and as Dahlgren watched, the computer zoomed in to an area on the northwestern side of the massive single continent, an area known for it's sprawling rain forests and great freshwater lakes. A red, blinking blip appeared in quadrant C-23, marking the area the computer had determined to be the location of the mysterious signal. The signal was originating in an area of thick jungle, with a large lake located dead center in the middle of the quadrant. The location of the signal puzzled Dahlgren even further. If it had originated in an area with geologic instability, such as a fault line, it might have provided a possible explanation for it. But he signal was originating in an area far from any active fault lines, and besides, geologic activity did not produce e-band emissions. Dahlgren was at a loss as to what was causing this signal. He decided to call his superiors at the ASRB Headquarters in Corneria City.

"Computer." He ordered. "Search signal database and attempt find a match to the signal detected on the planet's surface." He then got up, smoothing out his white lab coat as he did so, and went over to the communications panel on the side facing the plexiglass window. He punched in the code to the ASRB headquarters. The unit beeped and displayed a message indicating that his call was being patched through. After a couple of minutes, the face of the ASRB director, a grizzled old bear in his mid-fifties, wearing a pressed black suit, appeared on the communications screen.

"Ah, Doctor Dahlgren." He said in a tired voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"The sensors picked up a weird signal on the planet's surface." Dahlgren replied. "Believe it or not, it's an e-band emission." The Director's eyes popped wide when Dahlgren delivered the news.

"E-band! But e-band emissions only come from space, from collapsing protostars. What's one doing coming from a planet?" He asked, flabbergasted.

"I'm not sure. I'm having the computer run a database scan to see if any known signals match." Dahlgren replied. As he did so, the computer chimed in.

"No match found to detected signal." The computers monotone voice announced. Dahlgren was shocked. The database contained a record of all known artificial signals, so this meant that the signal they detected was natural in origin. But, as they all knew, planets did not generate these kinds of signals. Just then, Dahlgren had flash of inspiration.

"Computer, are there any know signatures which match this one, natural or otherwise." The computer beeped a little as it processed Dahlgren's request.

"The signature of the detected signal is consistent with a Lylatian brainwave." The computer replied. Dahlgren, who had been puzzled before, was now downright confused by this latest development.

"A brainwave, hmm?" The Director chimed in. "I must say, that's a peculiar explanation." Dahlgren nodded in agreement. "Well, what's your next move?"

"We'll have to send someone down there to figure out what the hell's going on." Dahlgren replied. "Trouble is, all the planetary survey teams have gone home on vacation." The Director nodded in agreement.

"That doesn't leave us with much." He said. 'Wait, I do know of somebody. Are you familiar with the Star Fox Team?" Dahlgren turned back to the monitor.

"The mercenaries who repelled the Aparoid attack? Yes sir, I'm quite familiar with them." Dahlgren replied. "Why?"

"Word on the streets is that they haven't had a job in a while." The Director replied. "What do you say we see if they can come and check the planet out?"

"Aren't they still in the CDF's employ?" Dahlgren asked. The Director shook his head.

"Not as of recently." He answered. Dahlgren nodded.

"I guess it's worth a shot." He said. The Director smiled.

"Then it's settled, we'll give them a call in the morning. See you later." With that, the communication link was cut, leaving a blank screen on the monitor. Dahlgren decided to call it a day. He ordered the computer to go into Autoscan mode, which allowed to computer to take over the sensor reading process, and then walked out of the room to head to his quarters, turning off the light as he did so.

_Finally, Chapter Two is finished. Sorry it took me so long, but I wanted to make sure it was my best work before I posted it. Hope you all enjoy this latest chapter. Remember, read and review. As always, constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames!_


	3. The Kestrel Incident

_Here it is, the long awaited third chapter to The Remnant!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to the Star Fox franchise. I only own what I make up myself._

Chapter 2: The _Kestrel_ Incident

In the center of the city, far removed from the relative peace of the great chapel, stood an area the citizens referred to as the "Mall". However, it was not shopping center. Within this area, crawling with pedestrians and vehicles and bathed in color from the many gardens and groves that speckled this space, were all of the buildings and offices that formed the heart of Lylatian government. The massive Senate Building dominated the skyline of the mall, with its ivory white government buildings glistening in the morning sunlight. This structure, with it's oval shape, great domed roof, and deep silver painting shining in the sunlight like a great jewel, looked more like a sports stadium than a government building, much less one where all the laws of the Lylat System were framed, contained not only the Senate chambers where the representatives met, but also their offices and living quarters. It was almost like a small town in the middle of the bustling, noisy metropolis that was Corneria City. About a block away, much smaller than the Senate Building but just as important, was a tall office tower. This ivory white, pyramid-shaped spire was the headquarters of the Lylatian Defense Department, which governed both the individual defense forces that guarded each planet in the system, and the Lylatian Defense Force which protected the system as a whole. It was also known for it's great height, which at 2,500 feet made it the tallest building in the system.

Up upon the highest floor of the great spire was a solitary office, the office of the General Secretary of the Defense Department, who administered the activities and policies of the entire Lylatian military establishment, from establishing enlistment quotas to implementing policy changes. Currently, none other than now retired General Pepper, a stodgy old hound dog with equal parts determination and optimism, held the position. He would need both in the times ahead. Despite the progress that had been made in rebuilding the system, the military was still struggling to get back onto its feet after the Aparoid war. Nearly all branches had taken horrendous losses during the conflict. Worst affected was the Cornerian Defense Force, the arm charged with defending the capital world from attack. As Corneria itself had taken the brunt of the Aparoid's fury, so did the CDF, which had taken casualty rates upwards of thirty percent, and was now struggling to meet the lofty recruiting goals the government had put on them as part of it's rebuilding plan. The CDF had only been able to meet about thirty-five percent of these goals in the year that had passed since the conflict, a paltry number compared to the Katinian Defense Force, which had been able to completely replenish it's ranks and then some in less than six months.

Inside, the office was richly decorated. Paintings depicting famous starships and battles from Lylat's past were hung up on the fine oaken paneled walls of large, oval shaped room. The floor was decorated in carpet of the richest blue, which was set off by the light of the sun filtering through the massive panel window that made up the back wall of the office. A giant fish tank containing a myriad of colorful tropical fish was situated over on the left side, and lush green plants were place on a shelve hanging above the tank. Just outside the center of the room was situated a large, semi-circular oaken desk which complemented the wall paneling nicely, and sitting behind that desk, watching the latest news headlines from the large holoscreen mounted on the wall in front of him, was now General Secretary of the Defense Department William Pepper. Pepper frowned at the latest headlines that flashed across the transparent holoscreen, delivered by a rather lovely looking gray she-wolf dressed in a black business suit. Almost every report was nothing but the same old garbage, from reports on the Zoness' struggles to rebuild it's economy after the Aparoid attack, to the continuing recruitment problems the CDF was experiencing. Pepper sighed as the reports continued to flash across the screen. He had heard nothing but the same mundane, over covered news stories, mostly dealing with the remaining negative aspects of the whole rebuilding process. He would have liked to see someone actually attempt to cover the positive developments that had occurred in the nearly one year since the Aparoid's devastated the system, but that was like wishing for a rainstorm on Titania, it just didn't happen. After all, good stories never got good ratings. Pepper sighed again and was about to turn off the holoscreen when a particular story caught his attention.

"In other news, it's a happy day for a certain vulpine couple you all may have heard of." The she-wolf's voice announced, followed by a camera shot of a very familiar orange fox and his happy bride flashing across the screen. Pepper couldn't help but crack a smile at this. He had indeed heard of the vulpine couple whose image was now being broadcast across the airwaves of Lylat. "A representative of the Star Fox team has confirmed that today, after almost two years, Fox McCloud, everyone's favorite gun-for-hire and hero, has finally decided to settle down and marry his long-time sweetheart, who goes only by the name of Krystal." Pepper's smile grew even larger as he watched the vulpine couple kiss, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this image was now being beamed into nearly every home across the system. "The two wed this morning in the Corneria City Chapel, and by the looks of things, are quite happy about it. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a long and happy union for the McClouds. We wish them the best of luck." Pepper let a laugh escape him before turning the holoscreen off.

"Well Fox, my boy, I must say it's about time." Pepper said to himself. "It's about time." Pepper then turned back to his desk, and was about to engross himself in a book set over to the side by his communications panel, when he noticed one of the indicators on the screen was blinking. A quick glance at the screen revealed to be the incoming transmission indicator, which told him that his holographic communicator had received a new transmission. A quick tap of the screen brought the hologram projector popping out of the top of the desk with a mechanical hiss. The room seemed to grow a little brighter as the hologram communiqué came to life, revealing the head of a female border collie, black and white in color, with bright green eyes and a warm smile.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir." The woman said. "But you have an incoming transmission from Colonel Donelson on C-42." Pepper grew slightly concerned when he heard this. C-42 was one of the numerous sensor outposts set up along the border of Lylatian space. These outposts, nicknamed "watchtowers", were designed to for the sole purpose of detecting and tracking incoming ships. C-42 was located near Sector P, which just so happened to be where several civilian science crews were studying several newly discovered planets. If the station had detected something approaching the sector, and it turned out to be hostile, the safety of the science teams was in jeopardy.

"Patch it through." Pepper ordered. The woman nodded, before her image blinked out and was replaced by the slim features of a male black fox, dressed in the garb of a Lylatian Defense Force officer.

"Greetings general." The officer, Colonel Theodore Donelson, addressed. "I hope I'm not disturbing you." Pepper smiled slightly.

"Not at all, Colonel." Pepper said. "What seems to be the problem?" The Colonel's face disappeared, replaced by a star map of Sector P with all of the known star systems marked with green dots and text with each system's designation next to it.

"What you're seeing is a map of the sector we we're assigned to watch." The Colonel began. The map then zoomed to a star system labeled "A-231" and highlighted it with a white crosshairs. "This is one of the newer systems discovered, A-231, which is just inside our sensor range. At 0530 hours, our sensors detected several tachyon emissions within the vicinity of the fourth, currently unnamed, planet in the system."

"Tachyon emissions?" Pepper asked.

"Yes sir." The Colonel. "As you may recall, tachyon emissions indicate the presence of tachyon particles, which are the primary components of a cloaking field." Pepper was deeply disturbed to hear this. At the time, the only ships in the system that used cloaking devices were the Venomian Switchblade-class destroyers. If cloaked ships were active in the system, they were more than likely Venomian, further remnants of Andross' once mighty Venomian fleet. If so, then the civilians working in that sector would be in danger.

"Your certain that it's a cloaked ship giving off these signatures?" Pepper asked. He wanted to make sure that the station's crew wasn't jumping to conclusions.

"Quite certain, sir." The Colonel replied. "Tachyon particles are very rare in nature, and the quantities we detected them in were inconsistent with any known natural phenomenon. Also, the tachyon traces appeared to be moving."

"Moving?" Pepper asked. The Colonel nodded. Pepper now knew that the station's crew was not jumping to conclusions. Moving tachyon traces in unnatural amounts could only indicate one thing, a cloaked ship.

"What do you suggest, Mr. Secretary?" The Colonel asked.

"Put your station on alert level three, and send a coded transmission to all military units in the immediate area advising them to do the same." Pepper ordered. "In the meantime, I'll contact General Casey and see if he can spare any additional units."

"Yes sir." The Colonel acknowledged, before terminating his link with Pepper's office. The Colonel's image was replaced with that of the young woman, Pepper's secretary.

"Ms. Lane, please patch me through to General Casey's office. I need to speak with him." Pepper ordered.

"Of course, sir." The secretary acknowledged. Her face was then replaced with bright green holographic text that read "Establishing link. Please wait." Pepper leaned back in his chair and patiently waited for the link the Casey's office to be established.

---

If the mood in Pepper's office had been tense, it was most certainly the exact opposite at the Cornerian Great Opal, the finest hotel on the planet, where Fox and Krystal's wedding reception was to be held. Indeed, Peppy had wanted the best for this day, and the ballroom at the Great Opal was the finest the city had to offer. The Opal was renowned across Corneria, and indeed Lylat, for the opulence of it's elegant ballroom, which offered just about every luxury that one could imagine, from an elegant dining and dancing area to a fully stocked bar, which carried just about every brand of wine and spirits from every planet in the system. It was rumored that the barkeep at the hotel even kept a stash of Venomian whiskey, an extremely potent drink made from grains grown on Venom that, thanks to the "unique" nature of Venom's soil, had a hallucinogenic effect thanks to a mutation in the grain. But, like so many rumors that floated around the system, this had never been proven.

Fox and Krystal were the first the exit their vehicle, a luxurious black limousine. Fox was the first out, holding his hand out for Krystal, who gently took it and gracefully stepped out of the limousine, her dress not displaying the least bit of a wrinkle from the ride. Almost immediately, Fox scooped Krystal into his embrace and kissed her deeply and passionately. Krystal returned the gesture with equal, if not greater, fervor, her arms slithering tenderly around Fox's neck, pulling her even closer into his embrace. The couple carried on like this for nearly five whole minutes, before they broke apart, staring into each other's eyes with expressions of the deepest, purest love crossing their faces.

"I'm so glad that this day has finally come, Fox." Krystal said dreamily. "I love you so much." Fox smiled and kissed her on the forhead.

"Likewise." He replied, and then gestured towards the entrance to the building. "Shall we?" Krystal once again took his hand in hers.

"We shall." She said, allowing herself to be led by Fox up the entrance, where a bellhop in a red uniform with gold trim waited to grant them entrance, along with the rest of their guests, who had already exited their vehicles and were waiting to allow Fox and Krystal to enter the building first.

"Welcome to the Great Opal, Mr. McCloud." The bellhop politely greeted. "Please enjoy your stay with us." Fox smiled.

"Thank you, sir." He replied, before fishing a five-credit slip out of his pocket, and handing it to the bellhop, who thanked him and opened the door, allowing the vulpine couple and their entourage to enter the hotel and prepare to celebrate their joyous union.

---

The Lylat System was unique for many things; it's population of half-human animals being only one of them. Probably it's most famous landmarks were its uniquely shaped micronebulae, which took on the form of the last three letters of the alphabet, X, Y, and Z, which also how the sectors they were located in got their names. How the nebulae came to be shaped like this had baffled Lylatian scientists since they were first discovered. The accepted theory was that the gravity wells of nearby planets and moons somehow twisted the shapes of the nebulae into forming the letters. This could have certaintly held true for one of these nebulae, located in Sector X, a giant, swirling, blue X-shaped nebula that was famous, or rather infamous, for the strange electromagnetic field it generated, which could interfere with a ship's electronics, sometimes even disabling a ship and leaving it stuck in the magnetic field of the nebula. It was for this reason that the Sector X nebula was sometimes referred to as the "Boneyard". The nebula was home to the hulks of hundreds of disabled ships; all rendered dead in the water by the strange forces at work in the sector. Near the nebula were three of the main planets of the system; Titania, a formerly lush planet rendered a single, massive desert by an asteroid strike, Eladard, a mineral rich world that was peppered with mineral mines and processing plants, and Papetoon, the system's pleasure planet, famous for it's beautiful beaches and lush forests which were perfect for camping. These were all fairly good size planets, so their gravity wells could very well have contorted the Sector X nebula into the shape it was famous for.

Currently trudging its way through the sector was a small Lylatian ship; it's silvery admantium armor plate glinting in the light coming from the nebula. The craft itself was rounded, almost saucer shaped, its two rear mounted plasma engines churning out two streams of blue, brilliantly glowing plasma exhaust. The ship bore few markings, other than it's registry number, PC-175, and a shield marking depicting a map of the Lylat System on the face, with an olive branch arching underneath it and a sword going through the top of the shield, the emblem of the Lylatian Defense Force. The only other features on the ship were two triangular dorsal fins, slate gray in color, standing erect from the rear of the ship. This ship was the patrol cutter _Kestrel, _a member of the _Sparrowhawk _class of patrol cutter. Being a patrol cutter, she was lightly armed, and not exactly designed for deep space work, but she was the closest ship to sector P that could be found, and so it was she who was assigned the task of investigating the mysterious tachyon signatures.

Being a small vessel, the _Kestrel _had small, utilitarian rooms, from her engine room down to her crew quarters. Her bridge was no exception. The bridge was a small, circular room containing only two stations, both of which were situated at the front of the bridge, near the front windows of the bridge. One station was for the ship's navigator/helmsman, who both determined the ships course and piloted the ship, and sat on the right side of the bridge. The seat was currently occupied by a male avian, of average height and build, with brown feathers and light gray eyes, and who was dressed in the standard navy blue coveralls worn by all LDF crews. His eyes were currently focused on the navigational display on the rectangular console in front of him, showing him the ship's current heading and speed, as well as all nearby bases and ships.

On the left side of the bridge sat the ship's tactical officer, who was in charge of monitoring all of the ship's vital systems, including the weapons and shields. Also, it was the tactical officer's job to control the weapons in a combat situation, which patrol cutters such as the _Kestrel _rarely found themselves in. Currently, the tactical officer, a young male lion, had his eyes glued to the tactical display in front of him, which told him the status of all of the ship's vital systems, carefully watching for any anomalous readings.

Sitting in the rear of the bridge, looking behind him as the sector X nebula shrank as the ship moved away, was the _Kestrel's _captain, a middle-aged wolf with brown that was slowly fading to gray in some areas, Commander Jon "Big Jon" McFaul. McFaul wore the same standard coveralls that the rest of the crew wore, except his had the added element of gold piping trim on the shoulders, indicative of his status as the ships commanding officer. McFaul turned around in his brown leather captain's chair to face the front of the bridge before speaking to his helmsman.

"Helm, what's our status?" He asked. The helmsman pushed a button on his console, which brought up a map of the ships current course on the small viewscreen in the console's center. Part of the space on the map was shaded in light gray, and near the end of this shaded area, a small blip indicating the ships current position was blinking.

"We're almost clear of the magnetic disturbance, sir." The helmsman replied. "We should be able to use the hyperdrive soon." The massive magnetic field generated by the nebula not only interfered with a starships electronics (which modern ships had since been upgraded with shielding to protect their systems when traveling through the sector), they also prevented the use of a ships hyperdrive, the system which enabled ships to travel faster than light by tunneling into hyperspace, a sort of "sub universe" that existed at the quantum level, and where the laws of physics were distorted, enabling ships to travel at faster than light speeds without experiencing the effects of general relativity.

"How much longer until we clear the magnetic field?" McFaul questioned.

"About five minutes, sir." The helmsman replied. McFaul leaned back in his chair. The ship had been trudging it's way through the magnetic field for almost an hour, and the crew was anxious to get to sector P and start their mission, which was to determine whether there was Venomian activity in the sector, an anxiety that McFaul shared. His anxiety only increased when he thought about potentially facing Venomian ships, especially destroyers. His little patrol cutter had only thin armor, which, even if it were admantium, wouldn't last long in a firefight with and Venomian destroyer. The vessel's shielding wouldn't help much either. The _Kestrel _was equipped with only minimal shielding, barely enough to hold another light ship's weapons at bay, and certainly not enough to repel the heavy laser batteries mounted on Venomian warships. As if weak armor and shields were bad enough, the vessel carried Type II laser cannons, standard weapons for all Lylatian patrol cutters. Type II cannons were good for engaging pirate ships and other criminals, who's ships were usually weakly shielded, but were pretty much useless against even small frigates, much less a destroyer. With all this in mind, he was pretty nervous about potentially coming up against one of these ships, which were sure to attack them if discovered. His only hope would be to cut and run if they encountered a Venomian ship. Hopefully, they would be able to get into hyperspace before they were pounded into scrap.

Shaking his head to get these thoughts out of his mind, he reached in the front pocket of his uniform and pulled out a PAD with some text written across the front, the latest novel from Todd Warson, one of Corneria's most popular authors. Warson was a writer of military fiction, and McFaul, a military man, enjoyed reading such stories. McFaul was soon engrossed in the words on the PAD, but it seemed like he had barely begun when his helmsman brought him back into the real world.

"Sir, we've cleared the magnetic field. We can now enter hyperspace." McFaul jolted out of his story and stared at the helmsman. The helmsman looked back with a surprised look on his face. "Are you alright, sir?"

"Yes, yes, of course." McFaul said. "Set course for Sector P." He ordered.

"Yes sir." The helmsman replied. He punched the hyperspace vector for planet 44619, where they would begin their search, into his console, which in turn patched it into the ships navigational computer. On the bow of the ship, a small, slender probe folded out. The probe began to spark green at the tip, before firing a green beam into space. The beam coalesced a few feet in front of the ship into a large green portal leading into hyperspace. The _Kestrel, _guided by its computer, entered the shimmering green portal. The ship soon disappeared into the portal, which collapsed behind it in a brilliant emerald flash.

---

Fox and Krystal stared in awe at the room they had just entered. It was no wonder that the Great Opal was a favorite of the rich and famous of Cornerian society! Everywhere they looked, they saw luxury. The ballroom was massive, easily accommodating all of their guests. The ballroom was divided into two areas. On one side was a massive dining area, carpeting in the most beautiful ruby red carpeting, which blended perfectly with the walls. In fact, the two blended so seamlessly, that the carpet and wall appeared to be one, the carpeting stretching to cover the walls. A multitude of mahogany tables and chairs, with plush red cushion seats, were neatly arranged around the dining area, vases of white forget-me-nots and red roses and silverware and plates likewise arranged neatly on the tabletops. The tables and chairs were all polished until the shined as though they were brand new, untouched by Lylatian hands. Along the middle part of the walls, lovely floral patterns were painted in gold.

On the other side, the floor went from ruby red to ivory white as the dining area transitioned to the dance floor. The white color came from the fine polished marble tile that made up the dance floor, and clicked under the footsteps of the assembled guests. The gold flora pattern from the dining area continued on this side. Hanging from the ceiling of both areas were the most beautiful crystal chandeliers any of them had ever seen. Each one was made of hundreds of beautifully crafted crystal pieces, which shimmered in the light filtering through the ballroom's massive windows. Hanging from the bottom of each chandelier were shining gold orbs, polished until they shone nearly as bright as Solar itself. All of the chandeliers hung on golden chains studded with so many diamonds and gems that they gave the appearance of miniature galaxies, sparkling in the emptiness of space.

Fox, Krystal, and the other guests were left in awe at the luxury before them, while Peppy just watched their astonished expressions with amusement. Indeed, it was he who had picked out this hotel especially for this occasion. If Fox, who had become something of the son he never had, was going to get married, he might as well do so in a blaze of luxury. Peppy had insured that everything was the finest it could be, from Krystal's wedding dress, designed with the latest fashion in mind and crafted from the finest materials available, right down to the choice of food on the menu. The Opal's chefs were renowned throughout the system for their mouthwatering dishes, made from the finest ingredients. He wouldn't have accepted anything less than the best for them.

"The wedding party of Fox and Krystal McCloud, I presume?" A dignified voice appeared out of nowhere, startling the mystified vulpine couple out of their trance. They looked over to their side to see middle-aged raccoon, about a head shoulder than themselves and dressed in a typical black tuxedo, or "penguin suit" as Falco liked to call them.

"Yes sir, we're the McClouds." Fox replied.

"Ah, very good." The raccoon replied. "My name is Charles, and I'll be your host for the reception. Tell me, have all the guests arrived?"

"Yes sir." Fox replied. "All 500 of them."

"That's quite a substantial party, Mr. McCloud." Charles replied. "But I'm sure we can manage. All the arrangements are in place. We may begin at your convenience."

"In that case, I say let's get this party started." Falco chimed in, eliciting a round of agreements from the assembled guests.

"I'll alert the kitchens to begin taking orders. Feel free to be seated." Charles said, before disappearing into a room behind a high table, which like the rest was richly decorated, this time with a white tablecloth and silver dishware, and the usual red roses and white forget-me-nots in crystal vases. Fox assumed that this was where he, his bride, and their attendants would be sitting. He turned once again to his beloved bride, who by now was hanging off of his shoulders like a teenage girl and her high school sweetheart.

"Shall we take our seat, love?" He asked. Krystal smiled sweetly.

"You bet! I'm famished." She said. Fox chuckled lightly before leading her off to their seats at the high table.

---

A swirling lens of green light was what heralded to arrival of the _Kestrel _in sector P, or more specifically, in star system A-265, where planet 44619 was located. As the _Kestrel _emerged from the green tunnel of hyperspace, they bridge crew was immediately greeted, once again, by the great black void that was deep space. The _Kestrel, _in addition to investigating the tachyon emissions detected by the outpost, had been asked to deliver a load of data chips to Station K-45 by the ASRB. Because the station was constantly logging data from it's planetary scans, it often exhausted it's supplies of fresh data chips, which were used to store the massive amounts of data the station collected before it was transmitted back to the ASRB headquarters back on Corneria. Though the data crystals in the chips, small, almost see through slips of neon green plastic with silicon connectors on one end, were high capacity crystals capable of holding over 60 gigabytes of information, the massive amounts of information coming in from the planetary sensors necessitated constant replacement of the chips, and K-45 had just exhausted it's supply of fresh chips.

On the _Kestrels _bridge, Commander McFaul sat partially slumped in his chair. He hated the idea of serving as an errand boy for the ASRB, but orders were orders. He shifted in his seat slightly before addressing his tactical officer.

"How long until we reach the planet?" He asked, referring to planet 44619.

"Approximately two and a half hours at full speed, sir." The tactical officer replied. McFaul acknowledged and ordered the helmsman to set a course for Planet 44169 before engrossing himself in his novel again.

---

The clinking of silverware and the clamor of conversing voices filled the air of the Great Opal's ballroom as the assembled guests happily ate the appetizers that the kitchen staff had prepared. The mouthwatering aroma of cooking food wafted into the hall from the kitchens, making the guests all the more hungry for the delicious food that was sure to come.

At the high table, the focus of the entire celebration, Fox and his bride Krystal, happily feasted, along with their attendants, on the assortment of morsels arranged delicately on brightly polished silver serving platters, crafted from pure silver and delicately worked by the most skilled silversmiths on Corneria. The food that was served them could have made even a person on the strictest of diets give in to temptation. On one platter, a delicious assortment of pickled vegetables sat steaming and waiting to be consumed by the voracious wedding party. On another, a stack of fried slices of eggplant served with a dip made from ground sesame seeds were arranged. Placed in front of where Krystal sat was a large bread bowl filled with a creamy, homemade yogurt topped with chopped walnuts and fresh strawberries, with a fine serving spoon crafted from silver already stuck inside it. To the left of the yogurt was placed a steaming tray of whole-wheat pita bread stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers served with a mild salsa sat. The sight of the food, along with the aroma that made its way into their nostrils, caused the wedding party to become suddenly ravenous. Krystal, who had to undergo the taxing _umaikara _ritual and had barely eaten in eight days, was especially hungry, and began putting away the yogurt almost as soon as it was put in front of her. Fox couldn't help but chuckle at her as she scooped a hearty helping onto her plate and began to eat with earnest.

"Did you even taste those last couple of bites?" He jokingly asked her. Krystal swallowed the spoonful of yogurt currently in her mouth wiped her chin with the napkin placed beside her plate.

"Well, what did you expect after eight days alone in the wilderness on field rations?" She asked with a smile. Fox chuckled again and kissed her on the cheek before turning his attention to the pitas. Beside Fox, Falco and Katt helped themselves to some of the pitas, whilst beside Krystal, Fara and Marie dipped some of the eggplant slices in the sesame seed dip and chatted away. Next to them, Peppy likewise helped himself to some eggplant and relished the pickled vegetables. At either end, Bill and Slippy helped themselves to some pitas and pickled vegetables, respectively, Bill being careful not to get dipping sauce on his immaculate uniform.

Once the appetizers were out of the way, the serving trays were wisked away by the servers and replaced by a selection of drinks of the guests choice. Fox and Krystal, naturally, ordered a bottle of Chateau Katina Rosé Wine of a 2309 vintage, which they shared together. Peppy settled for a simple martini with olive. Fara and Marie both ordered a specialty drink of their own creation made from vodka, lemon-lime soda and cherry syrup, which they called the "soda jerk". Falco and Bill, not being the one's to sample fancy beverages, ordered a bottle of Cornerian ale each. The rest of the guests ordered a variety of drinks, most settling for assorted cocktails and beer, with soft drinks for the kids. A few, such as the Phoenix's, ordered fine sparkling wine, which they poured into elegantly crafted crystal wine glasses specially provided by the hotel staff. Fox and Krystal idly sipped their wine and chatted with the others seated with them, mostly about past events. Fox delighted them with a story about how, during an escort job from Katina to the nearby planet of Eledard to deliver relief supplies after the Lylat war, Falco had gotten a severe case of gas. For the entire duration of the two-hour trip, the COM traffic between the arwings and the freighters they were escorting was muddled with loud outburts from Falco's end of the line, along with his cursing about how he'd never eat at a cheap Katina diner again. All of them, Falco included, got a good laugh out of this. Falco even offered to recreate the events for them, an offer which they all heartily declined.

As they conversed, the main course of the meal was served. Each of them had preordered which dish they would eat before the reception. Fox, having grown up in a small town on the eastern shore of Esra, Corneria's main continent, and being somewhat of a country boy, had ordered the Country Steak, a 16 oz rib eye lightly marinated in a tangy barbeque sauce, served with sweet corn, country fried potatoes, a piece of fresh garlic toast, and a hickory smoked-flavored barbeque dipping sauce. Fox smiled at the thought of what the food in front of him would taste like. He had not had a decent barbeque in several weeks, since returning from interdicting drug smugglers on the Katina run to Corneria, and was quite happy to have to opportunity to enjoy one.

Back on Cerinia, Krystal's people had held a special reverance for water. The Cerinian's believed that the water was the blood of their world, flowing through the rivers like blood through the vessels of the body, nourishing the land and everything living on it. As such, the majority of the Cerinian diet consisted of seafood, especially fish, as they believed that anything brought by a river was a gift from their world to nourish them and keep them sustained. It was this belief that guided Krystal's choice of food. She had selected a fish dish consisting of prime salmon fillets, basted in white wine and topped with a creamy garlic butter sauce, served with a side dish of angel hair pasta covered with a light alfredo sauce. Krystal's choice, it turned out, went well with their choice of wine, which she was pleasantly surprised to find out.

Peppy, being the vegetarian that he was, opted for stir fry dish consisted of steamed baby pea pods, onions, bean sprouts, and water chestnuts doused with a spicy sauce and served atop seasoned brown rice. Peppy also took the opportunity to order a couple baskets of fresh sweet rolls and homemade butter. He picked up his fork and ate his meal gingerly, engaging the others in lighthearted conversation as he savored the dish. Marie and Katt, being somewhat light eaters, opted to split a large rack of lamb served with a delicious side salad covered in a tangy orange dressing. Falco, ever the carnivore, ordered a large t-bone steak made from black angus beef, marinated in a spicy concoction consisting of pepper and garlic, and served with mashed potatos and homemade gravy. Bill opted for a similar dish, although he had his marinated in a hearty barbeque sauce mixed with a little bit of Cornerian whiskey.

The guests ate their meals and happily chatted away, mostly about the wedding itself, and the future of the bride and groom. At the high table, Falco, Bill, and Slippy placed bets on how many kits Fox and Krystal would have, whilst Marie and Fara gossiped away like a couple of clique members in high school. Fox and Krystal just stared at each other as they ate, occasionally sneaking in a kiss, still overcome with joy at finally being united after so long.

After eating a copious meal, including a dessert course of the hotel's famous cream custard a la carte and the all important wedding cake (pieces of which were taken by the Marie and Katt to sleep with under their pillows to bring about dreams of their future husbands), it was time for the traditional toast the newlyweds, delivered, traditionally, by the best man, in this case Bill. Bill confidently stood up and adjusted his uniform jacket before tapping a nearby wine glass to get everyone's attention.

"Folks, can I get your attention for a moment?" He called to the guests. Instantly, all eyes in the room were focused on him. "First off, I'd like to welcome you all to this dress rehearsal party for my own wedding."

"Aw, sit down Grey!" Falco jested. Bill just laughed and continued his speech.

"As you all you all know, we're here today to celebrate the, at long last, wedding day of our very own Fox McCloud." He continued. "Just six months ago, he proposed to the lovely young lady sitting next to him, the now Krystal McCloud, after an almost two year romance. What the hell took you so long, Fox?" Bill asked in jest, eliciting a round of laughter from the guests.

"Don't bother asking him that question, Bill." Slippy chimed in. "We started asking before they ever started dating, and we couldn't get a straight answer. It was always 'Well, I uh…uh…um, uh…uh.'" He joked. More laughs erupted from the crowd. Even Fox laughed, being a firm believer in laughing at one's self on occasion.

"Krystal was worse." Fara said. "Every time I would ask her about her and Fox, she would start singing!" Fara then launched into a very off key rendition of the Cerinian song that Krystal sang to avoid her question. The guests were left in stitches over this. Even Krystal had to laugh at this, as Fara's impression was, admittedly, dead on. After the guests and wedding party all had a hearty laugh, Bill picked up a nearby glass of wine and held into the air.

"With all that being said, I hereby propose a toast. To Fox and Krystal McCloud! May your days be filled with joy, prosperity… and plenty of aspirin." He added the last bit to his toast with a mischievous grin. The entire assembly erupted into laughter at this last joke, especially the bride and groom. Once the laughter had died down, it was Fox's turn to speak.

"As long as we're all telling jokes, I think I'll bring this little number up." He announced before turning to Falco. "Say Falco, remember our first weekend leave from the academy?" Falco grinned widely when he realized what Fox was referring to.

"How could I forget?" He replied. "As I remember, all of us dumb plebes all hit the nearest bar as soon as we got our leave papers and hit the nearest tavern." Bill's own smirk immediately died when he finally realized what they were talking about.

"I remember we all agreed we would not purchase alcohol that weekend." Fox said. "Apparently, someone forgot our little agreement." He turned to Bill with a grin on his face as he made this statement. Bill braced himself for what was to come.

"When we got back to our barracks on Sunday, Bill, who was completely hammered, proceeded to fall on the gate officer at the entrance." Falco said, and then launched into a full on impression of a drunk Bill. "Beam me aboard, sir!" He yelled, before feigning a faint. The crowd roared with laughter at this, and even the hotel staff joined in on the laughter, while Bill just buried his face in his hand, blushing a furious crimson.

"Sorry buddy, but it was for your own good." Fox said, patting the thoroughly embarrassed Bill on the shoulder. Fara, who was, by this point, in tears from all of the laughing, took a moment to wipe her eyes before standing up herself.

"Well, if you guys are done reminiscing about the good old days, I believe it's time for the bride and groom's first dance." She said. "Am I right, girls?" She asked to Katt and Marie.

"Here!" They both called out, raising their drinks into the air in a mock toast. Fox turned to his beaming bride and gently took her hand into his, gently guiding her out of her seat and down from the high table to the dance floor in the center of the room. Fara gestured to a hotel employee standing near the exit. The man, a tall and slim coyote, pulled what appeared to the casual observer to be a remote control. As a matter of fact, it was just that. The remote transmitted a signal to the hotel's main computer core, which activated whatever program the remote was programmed to activate. In the case of this one, it was programmed to activate a special musical montage specially compiled for occasions such as weddings. Everything in the hotel, from the cooking appliances in the kitchen to the showers in the individual rooms, was wired to the hotel's massive computer. The music programs for the ballroom were no exception. With the push of a button on the remote, the computer automatically selected the desired program, in this case, a selection of love songs from various contemporary artists. The high capacity digital speakers carefully hidden in the walls and ceiling of the ballroom kicked to life, filling the entire room with the smooth sound of modern Cornerian romantic music. All eyes in the room turned to the bride and groom as Fox swept Krystal out onto the middle of the dance floor.

Fox delicately placed his arms around Krystal's waist, staring deeply into her azure eyes. Those eyes, they had always captivated him, since the day he first laid his own on her. Never in any woman he had seen had he encountered such a brilliant shade of blue, and the shine that seemed to permanently emanate from within them as if they had captured starlight, both of those conspired to put him into and almost hypnotic trance. Right now, her eyes were sparkling so much that they seemed to be made of the purest polished sapphire, a shine that was only enhanced by the glow of absolute joy upon her face. A loving smile crossed Fox's face as Krystal gently wrapped her own arms around his neck, and the two began to turn and sway in time with the music, their gazes never leaving each other's faces.

---

The light of the holographic display cast a dim glow on Pepper's face as he studied the latest developments in the rebuilding of the military. So far Titania, Eledard, and Katina had completely replenished their defense forces, and Zoness, Macbeth, and Papetoon had completed approximately eighty percent of the rebuilding, including the environmental damage done to Zoness by Andross' bioweapon research. Only Corneria still lagged behind, with only forty percent rebuilding completed.

"I never thought I'd see this." Pepper thought to himself. "The capital planet of the entire system, lagging behind even its colonies." He finished skimming the reports on the hologram display before switching it off and leaning back in his office chair. "I need a cup of coffee." He said to himself. However, the sudden beeping of his com panel caught his attention. He sighed in annoyance at the interruption before punching the button on the panel, bringing up the holographic image of his secretary.

"Yes, what is it?" He asked irritably.

"There's another transmission for you sir, from Science Station K-45." She replied, not noticing Pepper's tone. Pepper's expression went from irritation to curiosity in the blink of an eye.

"One of the science stations? What would they want?" He asked to himself, before turning to his secretary. "Patch it through." He ordered. The secretary's image blinked out and was replaced by the visage of middle-aged badger, wearing the standard powder blue jumpsuit of the ASRB space crews, the K-45 mission patch on his left shoulder, the seal of the ASRB on his right.

"Good morning, Mister Secretary." The badger greeted politely. "I am disturbing you?"

"No, of course not. I'm just a little tired, that's all." Pepper answered. "How can I help you?"

"I'm Dr. Henry Bougainville, director of Science Station K-45." The now-identified badger replied. "I was wondering, Mr. Secretary, is Star Fox still in the military's employ?" Bougainville's question puzzled Pepper for a second.

"No, Doctor. We released them from service just after the Aparoid incident." Pepper answered. "Why do you ask?"

"To put no finer point on it, we have a situation out here." Bougainville replied. "Just recently, our sensors detected an unusual signal originating from the surface of P-44619." Bougainville reached down, apparently pressing a button on a console, because his image was replaced with that of a 3-D globe of P-44619. As Pepper watched, a small white crosshair appeared over an area of thick jungle on the northwestern side of the single continent. "What you're looking at is an area of thick primary jungle located in quadrant C-23. The signal itself is originating from the spot indicated by the white marker. Our computers have indicated the signal is in the lower E-band range of the spectrum."

"E-band?" Pepper replied. "Aren't they normally given off by collapsing protostars?"

"Correct, sir." Bougainville replied as his face reappeared on the hologram. "That's why we were confused when the signal was discovered. We ran a database search to try to identify it, and that's when things got even more mysterious."

"How might that be, Doctor?" Pepper asked.

"The signal matched no known artificial signatures, but did correspond to a natural one. A brainwave." Bougainville answered. Pepper was thoroughly confused at this point.

"When last I looked, planets didn't have brains." Pepper said. "Are you sure it isn't artificial?" Bougainville nodded.

"E-band signals are very low frequency, and are notoriously difficult to generate artificially." He replied. "I can be done, but it requires highly sophisticated, and expensive, equipment to generate even a weak one. If someone was looking for a means of covert communication, a higher frequency signal broadcast piggy back on a standard communication line would be easier and more feasible." Pepper pondered what he had just heard for a moment. Bougainville was one of the ASRB's most prominent scientists, and Pepper knew he wasn't one to make something out of nothing. If couldn't identify the signal the station detected, no one could. "We've also ruled out the possibility of a computer error. I had my engineer run a complete diagnostic on the computer, and it found no problems."

"I have a ship on the way to the sector now." Pepper said. "They'll be stopping by your station soon, to deliver the order of fresh data chips you requested yesterday. I'll have them check it out when they arrive. If they can't find anything, I'll go ahead and give Star Fox a call."

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary." Bougainville replied. "K-45, out." The hologram immediately blinked out.

"Computer," Pepper ordered, answered by the beeping of the office's personal computer, "open a com line to the starship _Kestrel_." The holoprojector on his desk flashed on as the link to the _Kestrel_ was established. It only took a few seconds for the massive transmitter atop the Defense Department headquarters to establish the link, and the grizzled features of Commander McFaul to appear on the hologram.

"Good afternoon, Commander." Pepper greeted.

"Same to you, sir." McFaul replied. "I'll assume that since the General Secretary of Defense himself is calling, it's something rather important."

"You could say that, Commander." Pepper replied. "I'm contacting you because of a message I just received from the director of Science Station K-45. Apparently, the station's sensors detected an unusual signal on the surface of the planet they were surveying."

"What kind of a signal?" McFaul asked. "Venomians?" Pepper shook his head when McFaul mentioned Venomians.

"I doubt it. The station director said their instruments indicated an e-band frequency." Pepper replied. "E-bands, as you probably know, are extremely hard to create artificially."

"I do know." McFaul said. "I served onboard the _Starbuck _when the LDF began experimenting with e-band communications. I think we both know how that little endeavor turned out." Both of them shared a chuckle as they remembered the experiment, and the flak they took from the Senate Appropriations Committee for Defense when the experiment failed. "An e-band signal pretty much rules out an artificial source. The lab coat boys have an idea of what it might be?" McFaul said.

"That's where this thing gets bizarre." Pepper answered. "When the station ran a computer check to try to determine what it was, the computer said that it was a brainwave." McFaul's expression immediately morphed in an expression of bewilderment.

"A brainwave? Their computer must be on the fritz." McFaul said in disbelief. Pepper shook his head.

"Dr. Bougainville assured me that the computer was working perfectly." He replied. "Any chance of it being an error is remote."

"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you want me to check out this contact when I deliver the data chips the station requested." McFaul said.

"Exactly." Pepper answered. "I'd like some answers to this riddle, and soon."

"I'll do my best, sir." McFaul said.

"Good luck, Commander." Pepper replied. "Pepper, out." The hologram blinked out. Pepper leaned back in his chair, thinking about all the events that had been going on in sector P recently. Between the outposts detecting tachyon traces, to bizarre signals being detected on the surface of what was supposed to be an uninhabited planet, it was obvious that something strange was going on in the sector. Pepper hoped against hope that it didn't have anything to do with the Venomian loyalist forces left over from Andross' reign. With all the damage the system had taken from the Aparoid attack, the last thing Lylat needed was another war.

---

As the music, which had filled the air of the ballroom, began to fade out, Fox delicately swept Krystal into a deep, his loving gaze never leaving hers for a second. As he did so, the assembly erupted into applause, cheering loudly for the couple. Fox gently stood Krystal up, and the couple melted into a warm, passionate kiss, eliciting even louder applause from the wedding party. It was almost a full minute before Fox and Krystal broke their kiss, Fox taking Krystal's hand and gently leading her over to where Peppy sat. It was time for the traditional father-daughter dance, where the groom presented the bride to her father for a traditional last moment of time together before handing her off to her husband. As Krystal's father had been killed along with the rest of the Cerinian civilization in the tragic genocide that engulfed the planet, Peppy had volunteered to fill in the role of her father. It wasn't a very hard obligation to fulfill. Peppy had always been like a father to the rest of the team, and Krystal was no exception. When she first arrived on the _Great Fox _after the Dinosaur Planet episode, it was Peppy who first welcomed her aboard. When the team arrived on Corneria, Peppy, along with Fox, helped her adjust to the radically different cultural norms of Cornerian society, and helped to train her to become a valued member of the team. Much later, it was none other than Peppy who helped her to prepare for her wedding, including providing the meager rations that she took with her on her _umaikara. _Even though he had by the retired from the team and had taken a position at the Lylatian Military Academy as a civilian flight instructor, his loyalties firmly remained with the team, and he often went out of his way to help his unofficial family with whatever problem reared it's ugly head. For this, Krystal, and indeed all the members of the team, was eternally grateful.

Peppy climbed down from the high table and took a beaming Krystal on his arm before escorting her back out the dance floor. Fox, in turn, walked over to where the Phoenix's sat and took the hand of Mrs. Phoenix. It was another well-observed wedding tradition for the groom to dance with his mother, likewise a way of symbolize the groom moving away from his own family and toward the one he planned to build himself with his new bride. In Fox's case, Elena Phoenix would fill the role. Elena, who had lived not to far from the McCloud family home on the continents eastern shore, became a close friend of the family, along with her husband, when Fox's father, James, contracted with their company, Space Dynamics, to develop the arwing space superiority fighter. The Phoenix's would often watch Fox when his parents were busy, and had consequently become almost a second mother to him. This relationship was strengthened with the death of Fox's mother, and later his father, with Peppy and the Phoenix's sharing the job of raising Fox for most of his life, all the way through his years at the Lylatian Military Academy and later in Star Fox.

Elena gently took Fox's hand and stood up, allowing Fox to lead her out onto the dance floor. The two dances would be joint with each other, as opposed to one after the other. Once again, the sound of soulful, romantic music filled the room, and the couples began to turn and sway on the dance floor in the classic slow dancing fasion.

"I must say Fox, you are quite graceful." Elena whispered, complementing Fox on his slow dancing. Fox flashed her an award-winning smile.

"You can thank my father for that." Fox said. "He taught me practically everything I know about dancing."

"Including that gyration nonsense you young people are so fond of nowadays?" Elena jokingly asked. Fox gave a light chuckle at her statement.

"No, you can blame your daughter for that one." He replied. Elena feigned a look of pain and shock.

"Fox, you wound me!" She gasped in feigned horror. "I can't believe you would accuse my daughter of corrupting you!" Fox chuckled again.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Phoenix, but it's true." He replied. "She turned me in the worst delinquent this planet has ever seen." Elena and Fox shared a hearty chuckle at this joke before returning to their dance, gently turning and swaying to the music filling the ballroom.

---

"We're approaching the station, sir." The _Kestrel's _helmsman said. McFaul nodded in acknowledgement as the image of K-45 appeared on the viewscreen. Behind the station floated the great green and blue sphere that was P-44619.

"Open a channel to the station." McFaul ordered. The tactical officer punched a key on his console, initiating communications with the station.

"Channel open." He said. The image of Dr. Bougainville appeared on the screen. He wore a fatigued expression on his face, the expression of a man who had been under a great deal of stress. McFaul knew that kind of feeling all too well.

"Good morning, Doctor." McFaul greeted. "We have the load of fresh data chips you requested."

"Thank you, sir." Bougainville replied, fatigue evident in his voice. "You may transfer it over at your leisure."

"We've also been informed as to the contact you detected on the planet's surface." McFaul replied. "We have orders to investigate your report." Bougainville nodded.

"Thank you, Commander." He replied. "We await the results of your investigation."

"We'll beam down an away team as soon as the transfer of the data chips is complete." McFaul replied. "_Kestrel, _out." The image of Dr. Bougainville blinked out and was replaced with the previous image of the station orbiting the planet.

"Transfer room, are you ready to begin transfer?" McFaul asked over the intercom.

"The data chips are in place and ready to be transferred, sir." The thickly accented voice of the transfer chief replied. "Awaiting your orders."

"Prepare to initiate transfer." McFaul ordered. "And ready the machine to transfer a…"

"Sir, we have a contact on the sensors, bearing 093, mark two." The tactical officer cut in. "It appears to be a tachyon reading." McFaul turned to his tactical officer.

"Are they ships?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, sir." The tactical officer replied. "Sensors can't get a good reading with the interference from the… wait, sensors have just made an ID. Venomian attack ships, sir, _Harpy_-class."

"Dammit! How many?" McFaul asked.

"Three, sir. Closing in on the station at full speed." The tactical officer replied. McFaul cursed at their foul luck. The last thing he needed was a Venomian raid against the station.

"Sound general quarters." McFaul ordered, and immediately the entire ship was filled with alarm klaxons and the sound of crewman rushing to their battle stations. "Raise shields to full strength and polarize the hull plates. Arm all weapons."

"Aye, sir!" The tactical officer replied.

"Open a channel to the station." McFaul ordered. The viewscreen once again displayed the image of Dr. Bougainville.

"It looks like your data chips will have to wait, Doctor." McFaul said. "We just picked a Venomian strike force inbound." Dr. Bougainville's expression turned into an unmistakable expression of shock.

"Venomians, attacking the station?" He said. "I hope you have a plan, commander."

"There's only one thing I can do." McFaul replied. "Fight them off. Helmsman, set an intercept course with the Venomian ships." The helmsman immediately turned the ship to intercept the Venomians. The _Kestrel _rocketed off into space at full speed, it's crew determined to defend the station from the Venomian ambush. It was only a couple of minutes before the Venomian ships came into view.

The _Harpy _class of Venomian attack ship was rightly named. The ships, painted blood red and sporting the emblem of the Venomian Empire, were possessed of long, torpedo-shaped bodies, their bridge areas tapered to resemble the beak of a bird of prey. From their bodies sprouted long wing-like structures, slanted upward in the manner of a bird's wings, further heightening the appearance of a bird of prey. Slung under their bellies were two weapon mounts, each containing a deadly Talon anti-ship missile pod, each containing four Talon missiles. The Talon was a unique weapon, capable of penetrating shields and piercing armor plate easily. Though they weren't as powerful as their larger cousin, the Copperhead missile, they were still dangerous if they hit a vital system. Luckily for McFaul, the _Kestrel _carried the latest defensive technology to enter service with the LDF, the point defense laser. The PDL was essentially a small laser turret mounted on the top of the ship's hull, and was capable of targeting and destroying incoming enemy projectiles, like missiles. Hopefully, they would keep the Talon's from knocking out the _Kestrel _before she managed to fire some shots of her own.

"Tactical, lock laser cannons the lead ship." McFaul ordered as the _Kestrel _closed within cannon range. "Fire!" At McFaul's order, two bright blue pulses of particle energy burst from the _Kestrel's _laser cannons and impacted with the lead ship in the formation. Unfortunately for the ship's crew, they did not have their shields raised. The ship was hit in the lower stern, where the plasma fuel for their conventional engines was stored. The ship was immediately blown in half, destroyed. The other two ships immediately dove below the _Kestrel_ and pulled away from the fight, hoping to get a firing position on her.

"Turn into them and get us into a firing position." McFaul ordered. The helmsman immediately swung the ship around, pulling her into position behind the attack ships. The _Kestrel _immediately opened up with her laser cannons, impacting the right ship in its stern shields. The left ship pulled up and away, leaving its compatriot to fend for itself. The ship tried to evade the _Kestrel's _laser fire, but the effort was futile. The _Kestrel _continued to pound the Venomian ship with laser bolts, thanks to her excellent targeting systems. Eventually, the Venomian's shields collapsed, and one final bolt to her back quarter tolled her death knell. The ship was engulfed in a fiery plasma explosion, completely destroying her. The bridge crew of the _Kestrel _whooped in joy over the two kills, but this joy was short lived. The ship was immediately rocked by a laser impact. The third Venomian ship had snuck up behind her, and was now pounding her shields with fire from it's own laser cannons, built into the ship's beak-like bow. Angry red bolts slashed their way through space and towards the _Kestrel, _threatening to give her the same treatment she had just given the others.

"Helm, evasive maneuver L4!" McFaul ordered. The helmsman deftly maneuvered the ship into a loop, flew her down below the Venomian ship, and cut away, leaving the Venomian commander surprised. The surprise quickly faded as the ship performed a near kickspin and homed in on the _Kestrel, _which was currently headed back towards the ship to attack. McFaul immediately recognized this maneuver as the "Crazy Eagle" maneuver, where the Venomian ship would turn and charge a pursuing enemy and fire all of it's missiles at it, usually resulting in a lucky kill for the Venomian. Luckily, the _Kestrel _was too far away, and McFaul knew what was coming. The Venomian ship fired all eight missiles from its pods, but the _Kestrel _was able to avoid the missile barrage, her PDL firing at and destroying a few which got too close. The _Kestrel _than came up behind the Venomian and pounded her back quarter with laser bolts until she, like her sister ships, exploded in a fiery burst of plasma and debris. McFaul was about to breath a sight of relief when…

"Sir, Venomian ships decloaking to starboard. Their missile frigates." The tactical officer announced. McFaul could have sworn his heart stopped at that moment as the image of the two _Golem _class missile frigates, dark blue in color, with heavily angled fighter like hulls with massive underslung missile banks looking like giant boxcars attached to the hulls, filled the _Kestrel's _viewscreen. The attack ships were just a diversion!

"Helm, get us the Hell out of here!" McFaul shouted in near panic. As tough as the _Kestrel _was, she was no match for the _Golems. _They each carried huge numbers of Talon missiles in each of their banks, enough to take on a whole fleet, let alone a single patrol cutter. The helmsman threw the _Kestrel _into a hard turn and immediately threw her to full speed. The missile banks on the two frigates swung out and opened up, revealing their massive stores of missiles. The ships launched a volley of missiles straight at the _Kestrel's _back quarter, threatening to reduce her to cosmic dust.

"Sir, there's no way our PDL can destroy all of those missiles." The tactical officer said, his voice betraying his fear.

"Can we avoid them?" McFaul asked. The helmsman shook his head.

"They're closing too fast, sir!" He said.

"Then let's hope our shields hold up. All hands, brace for impact!" McFaul gripped the sides of his chair, saying every prayer he could remember in his mind. Just as he was reciting the Messiah's prayer, his tactical officer cut in.

"Sir, massive energy reading coming from the planet." He said.

"Onscreen!" McFaul shouted. The screen displayed an image of the planet. On the continents northwestern side, near where the signal was detected, a swirling mass of blue energy was building. As the crew of the _Kestrel_ watched, the energy concentrated and burst from the planet's surface in a massive beam. McFaul instinctively threw his hands up as the beam engulfed his ship, shaking her violently and throwing the crew around the bridge. One particularly violent lurch threw McFaul from his seat and slammed his head against the port bulkhead. McFaul's vision began to falter, and he eventually slipped into unconsciousness.

---

McFaul awoke, his mind in a daze. He tried to focus his eyes, but all he saw were blurred images. He saw two figures hovering over him, speaking in voices he could not make out. Eventually, as his mind cleared, he was able to make out some of the words they were saying.

"Sir, sir! Are you okay?" He recognized the voice as belonging to his tactical officer. His vision cleared, revealing the bridge of the _Kestrel _and his two bridge officers. He himself was lying on the floor, near the port bridge bulkhead.

"Wh-what happened?" He mumbled. "The Venomian frigates, what's going on?"

"You wouldn't believe, sir." The helmsman replied. "That massive beam of energy we detected from the planet blew both the ships and their missiles to Hell."

"The station, are they allright?" He asked as he sat up, his head throbbing with pain.

"They're fine, sir." The tactical officer replied.

"And the ship?" McFaul asked.

"Aside from a few things inside getting knocked around, she's okay." The tactical officer replied. "Our long range com unit is out, though. It's weird as hell, sir. What ever that beam was, it only targeted the Venomians. We got tossed around like a freight carrier in a hurricane, but aside for minor internal damage, we're fine."

"Alright." McFaul said, standing up and trying to ignore the pain in his head. "Patch me through to the station."

"We should get you to sickbay, sir." The helmsman replied. "You hit your head pretty good."

"I'll be fine, just patch us through." McFaul insisted.

"Aye, sir." The tactical officer replied. He sat back down at his console and opened a channel to the station, revealing the visage of Dr. Bougainville.

"Commander, thank goodness you all made it." He said, relieved. "Are you alright?

"We're fine, Doctor." McFaul replied. "What about on your end? Any damage or casualties?"

"Aside from a few broken pieces of glassware, everything is in working order here." Bougainville replied. "No injuries reported yet. I have crew searching the rest of the station, but I doubt anyone's seriously hurt."

"Good to hear." McFaul replied. "The jolts knocked out our long range com system. We need you to relay our report over to HQ."

"Of course, Commander. Send it over when you can." Bougainville replied before cutting the transmission. McFaul stumbled over to his chair and sat down, his head still throbbing with pain.

"Helm, take us back to the station. I want an away team assembled to assist them in locating casualties." McFaul ordered.

"Aye, sir." The helmsman replied. McFaul shook his head to clear up some of the pain, and took a long, hard look at the planet on the screen.

"Mother of God." He said to himself. "What in the hell is going on down there.

_Sorry it took me so long to update. School's been keeping me busy._

_Future chapters may be a little shorter than this one, about 8,000 words or so. Don't worry, the quality will not go down one notch._

_As always, please read and review!_


	4. New Mission, New Blood

_Sorry it took me so long to get this update up. My time has been taken up with writing my deviantART submission. Writer's block can be a real pain in the ass._

_Now that the monologue is out of the way, onto the story!_

Chapter Three: New Mission, New Blood

Pepper sat at his desk, awaiting an update from the _Kestrel_. It had been several hours since he had last contacted the ship, to give Cmdr McFaul his mission. Pepper imagined that the _Kestrel_would have returned with an update by now. The planet wasn't too far away, and by his knowledge, its surface was easily accessible. An investigation into the mysterious signals shouldn't have taken very long. He was about to contact the ship again when his communicator buzzed.

"Incoming transmisson." The computer chimed. Pepper pushed the transmit button on the console. The holographic display came to life, displaying the tense features of Dr. Bougainville.

"Dr.?" Pepper said. "I was expecting an update from Cmdr. McFaul. Is there a problem?" He asked. Bougainville nodded.

"I wish I could say that there wasn't, but there is." Bougainvilled replied. "A very interesting even has occurred here, which the Commander wished me to relay to you, as his communications equipment was damaged." Pepper leaned back in his chair, concern for the safety of the _Kestrel _and her crew etched on his face.

"The_Kestrel _was in the process of transporting the spare data chips we ordered, when we we're attacked by Venomian remnant forces." Bougainville began. "The Kestrel was able to fight off the first wave of attack ships, but then was accosted by three missile frigates and was nearly destroyed by a missile volley. This is where the report gets interesting. As all of us watched, a massive burst of energy shot forth from the planet's surface, hitting all three ships, but only destroying the Venomian ships." Pepper's eyes widened with disbelief.

"You're certain of this?" He asked. Bougainville nodded.

"Quite certain, Mr. Secretary." He replied. "We not only saw the phenomenon with our eyes, but it was also recorded on our instruments. The readings were, to put it lightly, intense." Pepper sighed.

"That would explain why the ship hasn't been in contact. Any phenomenon with that amount of power behind it is bound to knock a ship's systems out of whack." He said. "What's your status?"

"We're currently assisting the _Kestrel_with repairs." Bougainville replied. "I have also kept the station's defensive systems on standby in case of another attack."

"Damage?" Pepper asked.

"None to our end," Bougainville replied, "but the _Kestrel_did sustain damage to some of her internal systems." Pepper frowned. The last thing any of them needed to deal with was a second Venomian insurgency.

"Have McFaul contact me when his communication system is repaired." Pepper said. Bougainville nodded and cut the transmission. Pepper then pushed the button to contact his secretary. Her image flashed up on the hologram display.

"Yes, sir?" She said.

"Send a message to Peppy Hare, PAD number 7829." Pepper said. "Tell him I need to speak with him and the rest of the team as soon as possible."

"Yes sir." The secretary replied. The hologram communicator blinked out, and Pepper sighed with fatigue. If the loyalist Venomians were gearing up for another insurgency, there was little that Lylat could do to stop them. Their military forces were stretched thin as it was, with standard patrols, interdicting smugglers, et cetera. Plus, they were sorely undermanned, with only fifty percent of recruiting goals for the military as a whole met in the year or so since the Aparoid invasion. Noticing the time on the clock, Pepper decided to leave and get lunch. He sat up and adjusted his tie before walking out the door, locking it with his personal passcode behind him.

---

Loud dance music blared from the loudspeakers in the ballroom as wedding guests danced to familiar tunes. Falco in particular had taken to demonstrating his breakdancing skills, much to the delight of the other guests. Fox and Krystal stood in the center of the dancing crowd, turning, spinning and rocking to the music. Even Slippy got into the act, dancing in his own unique way, though falling flat on his face when he tried to copy Falco's moves, much to the delight of the aforementioned avian.

Peppy stood off to the side with some of the other elder guests, chatting away about what they had been up to over the years. Peppy, of course, had continued to work with pilots by taking a position at the Lylatian Military Academy, teaching a class in advanced air warfare tactics to upperclassmen, teaching them some of the knowledge he had acquired as a pilot.

Peppy was telling the others the story about how one of his students, taking his final exams, got a case of final exam jitters and ended up throwing up on the control console of the simulator, shorting it out. The others roared with laughter. It was then that Peppy's PAD began to beep, indicating that a message had come through. Peppy excused himself before stepping over to a corner to check the message. He pushed the message button on his PAD. The screen displayed the indicator for an incoming call. Peppy pushed an icon marked "answer" and held the PAD to his ear like a phone.

"Peppy Hare speaking." He said. A pleasant female voice answered.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hare." The woman replied. "Defense Secretary Pepper asked that I forward his request for your team to meet with him."

"Did he say when?" Peppy asked.

"As soon as possible." The woman replied. Peppy frowned. If Pepper was asking them to meet with them ASAP, it couldn't be good.

"We'll be there as soon as we can." Peppy said. The woman thanked him and hung up. Peppy then stepped out to the dance floor to find Fox. Fox and Krystal were stepping off to the side to rest from dancing when Peppy found them.

"Something wrong, Pep?" Fox asked, noticing Peppy's expression. Peppy nodded.

"I just got a call from Pepper's office." He said. "Apparently, he wants to meet with us, ASAP." Fox frowned as well.

"Did they say why?" Fox asked. Peppy shook his head.

"Nothing. I have the feeling something's happened." Peppy replied. Fox got the same feeling, as did Krystal.

"I'll gather the rest of the team." Fox said, helping Krystal up. "Looks like we'll have to wait on that honeymoon on Sauria."

"I'll go ahead and make the announcement." Peppy said, walking up to the front table, where a microphone was rigged up. He picked up the microphone and signaled the DJ, who was operating the computer interface for the music library, to cut the music so he could make his announcement. The music was cut off, much to the annoyance of the dancing guests.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but I have an announcement to make." Peppy said. "The team and I have been informed that our presence is needed at the Defense Secretary's office. We will therefore have to cut the reception short." A murmur of groans came from the guests. "Again, I apologize greatly, but the matter is urgent. I thank you for your cooperation." Falco and Slippy looked at each other.

"What do you think Pepper wants with us?" Slippy asked. Falco shook his head.

"I don't know, but it better be important." He replied with in an indignant tone. The guests began to shuffle out of the hall as the team met in the middle of the room. Bill joined them.

"Any idea what Pepper wants with you guys?" He asked, munching on piece of wedding cake. Peppy shook his head.

"I wish I could tell you, but all I got was a call from his office asking us to come." Peppy said. "His secretary was just as in the dark as we are now."

"Not like the old hound to get all hush-hush on us." Falco said. "What do you suppose he wants?"

"I don't know, but it must be pretty important to call us up there on short notice." Slippy said. By now, all the guests had left, leaving just the team, Bill, Marie and the Phoenixes. The Phoenixes had concerned looks on their faces.

"Is something wrong?" Fara asked.

"We're about to find out." Fox said. "Alright guys, saddle up. We're heading over." He then turned to the Phoenixes. "You mind if we borrow your limos? We're a little short on transportation." Patrick laughed.

"Of course, my boy." He said. "It's no trouble." The team then left the hotel, bidding goodbye and thank you to others, and climbed into a waiting hover limousine at the hotel entrance. The driver let down the screen and asked where they wanted to go.

"Take us to the Defense Department Headquarters, and make as quick as possible." Peppy said. The driver acknowledged and left the hotel entranceway, driving down the road in the direction of the Mall.

---

Pepper, having gotten a quick lunch, entered the front door of the Defense Department Headquarters, where a military guard stopped him to check his identification. Pepper pulled out his ID card, complete with and imbedded microchip containing his vital medical information, and showed it to the card. Satisfied, the guard allowed him to continue to the elevator. Pepper boarded the elevator and punched in the number for his office. The doors to the elevator closed, and the car began its rapid ascent to the top floor of the building. It took less than a minute for the elevator to reach the top floor of the building, having been designed to rapidly ascend extremely high buildings while maintaining a comfortable environment for the passengers. The doors opened, and he walked down the hall office, where his secretary greeted him.

"Hello, sir." She said politely. "The Star Fox team is on its way here. They should arrive soon."

"Alright, thank you." Pepper said. "Just send them right in when they arrive." He said before stepping into his office to wait for the team's arrival.

---

A few minutes later, Star Fox pulled up to the entrance of the Defense Department Headquarters. The group exited the vehicles and entered the building, to be greeted by the same military guard.

"I'll need to see a photo identification, please?" He requested. The team pulled out ID cards similar to the one Pepper carried, with the exception that they carried the civilian version that lacked the imbedded microchip. The guard examined each of their ID cards, and when he was satisfied, motioned for them to enter. "Thank you. The elevator is at the rear of the lobby." Fox thanked the guard and led the team to the elevator. A short ride up later, they arrived at the top floor where Pepper's office was located. They made their way to Pepper's office, where the secretary who had called Peppy welcomed them.

"Secretary Pepper will see you now." She said, beckoning them to enter. The team obliged, heading down the walkway to Pepper's office. Fox knocked on the door, and heard a gruff voice answer "Come in." Fox and the team entered the office to be greeted by Pepper, who sat behind his desk with his PAD in his hands, apparently reading something. Upon Star Fox's entry, he put the PAD down and stood up.

"Ah, Fox my boy!" He said. "Good to see you again. And congratulations on your marriage. My apologies for not being able to attend."

"It's alright." Fox said. "You've got a lot on your plate right now."

"As do we all." Pepper somberly replied. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you up here." He said as he sat down at his desk.

"You bet. You made us have to cancel a great party." Falco said. Fox rolled his eyes, and Pepper chuckled.

"I apologize for having to call you on such short notice, but a situation has come up." Pepper said. He pushed a button on his desk, bringing up a holographic display of Sector P. "This is Sector P, a region of space approximately six light years away from Lylat. It's currently a major focus of deep space research by the ASRB and the Science Department."

"I remember that." Fox said. "I also know that it's a hotbed for Venomian insurgent activity." Pepper nodded, and pushed another button, which focused in on a small section of Sector P where P-44619 was. "This is P-44619, a newly discovered P class planet orbiting the second sun in a binary system." He touched a spot on the globe of the planet near the single continent's northwestern coast. "Not too long ago, one of our mobile science stations, K-45, detected an unknown signal originating from this area of the planet's surface. Analysis of the signal showed it to be an e-band emission."

"E-band? Aren't those usually generated by collapsing stars?" Peppy said. Pepper nodded.

"Which is why this signal generated a lot of suspicion." He replied. "In fact, the director of the station called me and requested your presence. Knowing of your previous engagement, I diverted a ship I had sent to investigate possible cloaked ships to aid in the investigation. This is where things began to get interesting."

"How so?" Fox asked.

"The ship and station were attacked by insurgents." Pepper said. "The ship, the _Kestrel,_managed to fight off the first wave of enemy ships, but was then accosted by missile frigates and forced the retreat, and would have been destroyed if not for a very unusual event."

"Which was?" Peppy asked.

"If the station director is to be believed, a massive surge of energy erupted from the planet's surface, destroying the Venomian ships and causing minor damage to the _Kestrel."_Pepper said. The others had looks of disbelief on their faces.

"Which I guess is where we come in." Fox said. Pepper nodded.

"Normally, I would send some military units to investigate this matter." He said. "But with our forces stretched thin as it is, I can't spare any more. It was a stretch trying to get the _Kestrel_out there to begin with." Pepper turned off the projector. "I've received a flood of transmissions from other stations in the sector, wanting information, and I'm out of options."

"Let me see if I get this." Falco said. "You want us to head out to Sector P, a hotbed for Venomian insurgent activity, to investigate some weird junk on some planet, while risking an attack by pissed-off Venomians who are all too eager to try and put us six feet under for knocking off their leader?" Pepper laughed a little.

"That's the gist of it, yes." Pepper said.

"Sounds like fun." Falco said. "When do we start?'

"We need you out there immediately." Pepper said. "Do you accept the mission, Fox?" Fox nodded.

"Yes sir, we accept." He said. He then turned to Krystal. "Looks like we'll have to have our Saurian honeymoon another time." Krystal smiled.

"It's fine, Fox." She said, kissing him on the cheek. Pepper smiled.

"Well then, I'll call the station and tell them you're on your way." He said. "Oh, and I have something for you." He said, picking up the PAD from his desk and handing it to Fox. Displayed on the PAD's screen were the profiles for what appeared to be two fourth-year Military Academy cadets.

One of the cadets was a canine female, with white fur, long furry ears, a short white head fur. Her eyes were deep blue, and perched on her head was the black beret of a Lylatian Military Academy cadet.

The second was also female, this time a lynx-type feline. Like the other cadet, she sported the black beret of a cadet. Her eyes were deep brown, almost black, and she had an arrow shaped marking on her forehead. Stuck in her right ear was gold hoop earring.

Both cadets wore the black uniform of the Lylatian Military Academy, and sported the gold quadruple overlaid triangular insignia of a fourth year cadet on their collars. They also sported numerous bar-shaped badges over their left breast pockets, some of which Fox recognized (having earned many of them himself).

"Cadets Faye Spaniel and Miyu Lynx. Fourth year, graduating class of 2549." Fox said, reading the first portion of the cadet's profiles. "If I may ask, sir, what do two academy cadets have to do with this?"

"Read on." Pepper said. Fox read off the cadet's profiles.

"Cadet First Class Faye Irene Spaniel, 22 years old, 161.4 centimeters, 59 kilograms. Academy Good Conduct medal, blaster marksmanship expert, rifle marksmanship expert, Heavy Weapons expert, Exemplarily Physical Fitness medal, Exemplarily Academic Performance medal, Honor Medal, Expert Aviator medal." Fox read Faye's profile, counting off her awards and decorations, until he came to the instructor's notes section of the profile. "Cadet displays exemplarily performance in all manner of aircraft and ground combat. Cadet displays exemplarily decision making in all situations. Cadet displays exemplarily leadership abilities. Cadet displays great aptitude in first aid and battlefield triage."

"Wow, Fox." Peppy said. "She sounds like a certain former cadet I've heard of." Fox grinned and moved on to the next profile.

"Cadet First Class Miyu Danielle Lynx, 21 years old, 167.6 centimeters, 64.9 kilograms. Academy Good Conduct Medal, blaster marksmanship expert, rifle marksmanship expert, heavy weapons expert, Exemplarily Physical Fitness medal, Excellent Academic Performance Medal, Honor Medal, Expert Aviator medal. Exemplarily performance in all manner of aircraft, displays good decision making in all situations, shows great mechanical proficiency, displays great aptitude in demolitions." The team was awed at the profiles. These two cadets had to be the top two in their class, with profiles like theirs.

"Showing off your best pupils, boss?" Falco said. Pepper chuckled.

"No, Falco." He said. "Fox mentioned to me that the team was looking for new pilots to add to roster. I think I may have found the kind you're looking for. Also, I might add, they're great admirers of yours." Falco beamed.

"I have fan girls? Awesome!" He whooped. The rest of the team rolled their eyes.

"So, where are they now?" Fox asked.

"Over at the Academy, getting ready to graduate." Pepper said. "Shall we go meet them?" Fox smiled.

"I'd like that." He said.

---

The old grounds of the Lylatian Military Academy were buzzing with activity in anticipation of the graduation of the Class of 2549. All over the grounds, cadets were ironing uniforms, polishing boots and brass, arranging medals and rank insignia, and grooming themselves to military standard in preparation for the day's ceremonies. This was especially apparent at Col. Diane Hepburn Hall, the seven-story residence hall for upper-class female cadets. In room 213 on the fourth floor, Cadet First Class Miyu Lynx stood huddled over a table in her room, carefully arranging her medals onto the plastic uniform mount pinned to her neat black dress uniform, maneuvering them until they were perfectly straight, being the neat-freak that she was. She was so focused on her medals that she didn't hear the beep of the door until it beeped a third time.

"Enter!" She said. The door whooshed open, revealing Cadet First Class Faye Spaniel, already dressed in her dress uniform, which consisted of a uniform shirt, uniform skirt, knee high uniform boots, a belt with the Academy emblem stamped on the brass buckle, and a uniform beret with an academy patch. Her collar displayed the triangle insignia of a first class cadet, and pinned to her left breast pocket were several colorful medals. She huffed when she saw Miyu taking her sweet time with her medals.

"Come on, Miyu! We're going to be late!" She said. Miyu scowled at her friend.

"Hold your horses, Faye! I'm coming!" She said, frustrated with her friend's impatience. Faye huffed again as Miyu went back to taking her sweet time adjusting her medals.

"Come here." She said, grabbing Miyu and her medals. Faye quickly arranged Miyu's medals on her uniform, making sure they were as straight as possible. "There, they're fine. Now let's go." She said, practically dragging Miyu along with her.

"Would you take it easy? You'll wrinkle my uniform!" She said.

"We're going to be late!" Faye said, leading Miyu down a set of stairs leading to the back entrance to the dorm.

"I don't know what your problem is. The ceremony doesn't start for another hour." Miyu said. Faye turned to her.

"Don't you remember what the Captain said? He wants us there thirty minutes early, and we have fifteen to get to the Con." Faye said, using the Academy nickname for the newly built General John Amadeus Pepper Convocation Center, where all-important gatherings were held.

"Right." Miyu said as the two exited the dorm and made their way towards the "Con", making sure their uniforms were neat and tidy in preparation for the most important moment of their lives.

---

Fox flung his flight vest over his shoulder and slipped it on as he left the house and joined the rest of the team waiting outside. On the way to meet the cadet pilots that Pepper had shown them, the made a detour to the team's planetary residence to pick up their regular clothes, which for fox consisted of green flight pants, green muscle shirt, his combat boots, silver-gray fingerless gloves, and his sliver-gray flight vest with a Star Fox badge pinned above the left vest pocket. The badge belonged to his father, and had been given to him by Peppy after James' death at the hands of Andross on Venom.

"You guys ready?" Fox asked the team.

"When haven't we been?" Falco asked. Fox rolled his eyes.

"Alright, let's get going." Fox said. The gang hopped into the limos and drove off in the direction of the Academy.

---

Like a great sphere of mirrors, the General Pepper Convocation Center glinted in afternoon sunlight. The multi-paned glass exterior reflected the blue, cloud filled skies of Corneria so well that one could scarcely believe that it was a building and not an extension of the part of the sky itself. The beauty of the building wasn't lost on Faye and Miyu as they approached, looking for their Company Commander, Captain John "Monsoon" Collins.

A husky arctic fox from Corneria's North, Collins served during the Lylat War in the LDF's legendary Third Infantry Division, nicknamed the "Fighting 3" from the fact that the division saw some of the heaviest fighting during both the Lylat War and Aparoid Invasion. He served as a First Lieutenant in charge of a platoon of the divisions Echo Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Brigade, nicknamed the "Deuce Four", during the Liberation of Macbeth and the Invasion of Venom, the latter of which earned him a Distinguished Service Star for valor.

Following the war, Collins was promoted to Captain and was briefly assigned to command an infantry company occupying Venom, when the Aparoid Crisis erupted. He was reassigned to his old unit, the Deuce Four, as a company commander and led, along with the CDF 3rd, 8th, and 16th, infantry regiments, the heroic defense of Corneria City. The regiment was nearly decimated, until Star Fox managed to destroy the Aparoid queen. For his bravery and leadership, Collins was awarded the Lylatian Medal of Valor, the highest Cornerian military decoration. Afterwards, he left combat duty and took up a position at the Lylatian Military Academy as an instructor and company commander, where he became famous for having a high rate of graduating cadets.

Faye and Miyu waded through a crowd of black-uniformed cadets, pushing their way through the sea of people. Along the way, they were accosted by underclassmen reciting the "ring grovel", begging them to touch their newly received Academy class rings and paying them back for three years of good-natured hazing by generally being as annoying as possible. Of course, by tradition they had to let them touch the rings, which was followed by a salute and the cadet scurrying off to harass the next graduate. Faye and Miyu laughed at them, especially the "stiff-backs", the academy nickname for a fourth class, or freshman, cadet, from an old hazing ritual visited on new students in which they had to stand at attention for several hours, not being allowed to move one inch. This usually resulted in a stiff, sore back, hence the nickname "stiff-back".

They had almost reached the entrance to the Con, when a large group of cadets blocked their path. Faye and Miyu recognized some of them as third class, or sophomore, cadets from their company, a couple of whom were from their own squad. The cadets wore sinister smiles. Faye and Miyu had visited some particularly embarrassing pranks on these cadets, and now they were keen on getting their revenge. The group surrounded the two girls, chanting the grovel and reaching for their rings to touch them. Faye and Miyu were worried, not from the mass of black that surrounded them, but from the fact that they now had three minutes to find their company commander, and the cadets blocked their path. They had resigned themselves to being late when the heard a strong voice call out.

"Alright, all of you clear off!" The voice shouted. The cadets immediately scattered, revealing the imposing form of Captain Collins, dressed in the standard blue LDF dress uniform, bearing the insignia of a captain; three overlapping pentagons with a silver starburst in the center. Like many career officers, he sported a vast array of medals, most of which related to his combat experience. The most prominent was the dark blue ribbon that looped across his neck, from which hung a magnificent starburst pendant, silver and gold in color, with a dark blue stone in the center. This was the Lylatian Medal of Valor, the highest decoration that a Lylatian soldier could receive for valor in combat. Just the sight of the medal alone was enough to elicit awe from the casual observer, and in the military, wearing the medal demanded to ultimate respect.

Collins watched the cadets scurry off, presumably to go harass the next group of graduates. He then turned his attentions to Faye and Miyu, who began to apologize profusely for being late. Collins just smiled and shook his head.

"Actually," he said, "you're right on time." He pointed to the clock that stood in the Center's courtyard. They had three minutes. Both of them blushed at their behavior.

"Follow me, the rest of the company is waiting." Collins said. Faye and Miyu followed his lead to the courtyard fountain, where the rest of the cadets in their company had gathered in preparation for the graduation ceremony. Faye and Miyu spotted some of their friends from their four years at the Academy, and enthusiastically began to chat away with them, mostly about their lives outside the Academy walls, and what they planned to do with their acquired knowledge once they completed their compulsory three years of military service. Collins watched them with a smile on his face. All one hundred and twenty cadets in his company had completed the requirements for graduation, the first time in almost eight years. This was a product of his demand for the highest performance, especially academically, from his cadets. Now, he was proud to stand with them, the next generation of military officers, trained and held to highest standards.

The cadets chatted away for the next thirty minutes, until the Master of Ceremonies for the graduation, Academy Commandant General William Zymna, announced that the Arrival of the Cadets was about to start. This ceremony, dubbed "the Great Black Column", was one of the most well known, and celebrated, at the academy. Collins immediately snapped to attention as the graduating cadets all prepared to enter the Con and take their final journey as a cadet.

"Attention!" He barked. The cadets immediately leapt up to attention. "Company, form ranks!" The cadets scrambled to their feet and formed into a column. "About face!" He barked. The cadets turned on their heels and faced forward in preparation to begin marching. Slowly, the massive column of cadets began to file into the center, polished boots and brass gleaming in the sunlight.

"Company, forward march!" He barked, and the company began to march in unison with the rest of the cadets. Both Faye and Miyu were beaming. Being here, marching into the auditorium, getting ready to receive their diplomas and commissions, was what cadets dreamed about. Now, for them, the dream was about to come true.

---

The ride up to the academy had been largely uneventful for fox and the team, with the exception of the occasional disgruntled driver swearing at some idiot. Fox couldn't help but shake his head at this. Everyone seemed to be in such a hurry all the time, and rarely just stepped back and took a moment to just relax and enjoy life. Granted, one did indeed have to work, but it wouldn't kill people to just kick back now and then.

Stepping across the famous "Heaven's Gate", the giant, polished brass gate that led to the grounds of the Lylatian Military Academy, brought back memories of Fox's own years at the academy. Seeing the great parade field in front of Kramer Hall, the administrative building for the Academy, made him remember when he was a green fourth class cadet, forcing himself to learn all of the regulations and protocols that went with being a student at the academy. His reminiscing was cut short when Pepper's voice spoke up.

"Our escort has arrived." He said. Two hovercars pulled up to them. An officer exited first vehicle and saluted the general. "We best be moving along, the ceremony should be starting soon." Pepper said. Fox climbed into the car with Pepper, Krystal and Peppy bringing up the rear. Falco and Slippy climbed into the second car. Fox took a moment to gaze out over the sprawling Academy campus as the car pulled away from the gate and drove toward the Convention Center. The campus was beautiful in summer, especially the giant reflecting pool in front of the General King Hall, where the admissions office was located, which reflecting the summer sun like a great sapphire. Fox smiled at the sight. It felt good to be back, if only for a little bit.

---

The outer rim of the Lylat System was largely bleak. Being the farthest area from the Solar, the system's sun, there were few inhabited planets for colonists to settle on, and those that were suitable for life were usually sparsely populated, with fewer then ten thousand inhabitants. Most of these colonies were isolated military or trading outposts. It was the latter that had an unsavory reputation as being dens of crime.

On the isolated colony world of P-999, there was no exception. P-999 was a mining colony, known for it's rich diamond mines. In fact, over thirty percent of diamonds in the system came from this planet. However, the planet was also known for it's lawlessness, especially in the small mining towns, where not a night went by without at least one person going to the emergency room, or even being murdered in drunken barroom brawls.

Of these dens of iniquity, Ken's Cantina, was particularly notable, mostly for it's location in the middle of the one of the most crime ridden and violent mining towns on the planet. Never a night went by with at least four drunken brawls, at least according to rumor. Other rumors had it that the bar's owner spent more on replacing broken furniture and shattered glasses then on stock.

Tonight was no exception. Already, the bartender had thrown out six guys for fighting and wrecking furniture, including a twelve-hundred credit jukebox. The bartender, in this case bar owner Ken Barrow, a stout brown bear with a weathered face and heavily muscled frame, was tossing out two more drunks who had come to blows, in this case over an apparent insult to the girlfriend of one of the ruffians. Almost immediately upon being tossed, the two picked up where they left off and began exchanging punches. Ken just sighed and closed the bar door. He had started the bar to serve the miners who worked in the nearby diamond mine, to give them a place to relax after a long day in the shafts. Instead, it had become a den of drunken mayhem. Luckily for him, no one had been killed yet, which couldn't be said for the two other watering holes in the town, but he felt it was just a matter of time until someone was. He was seriously considering closing the bar and moving somewhere where he could conduct his business and not have to worry about crime, but at the moment he had no money with which to start over, having had to spend most of his income on repairing the bar.

Ken was returning to the bar to serve customers when the bell on the door chimed, letting him know someone had entered. This person turned out to be a tall, broad shouldered wolf, his face partially hidden by the hood of a black hooded sweatshirt. He wore a pair of faded jeans, worn black leather combat boots, and a pair of black fingerless gloves. He looked every bit the part of a disheveled miner coming in for a drink, and Ken treated him as such.

"Evening, fella." He said to the wolf. "Care for a drink?" The wolf nodded.

"Cornerian mead, if you have it." The wolf replied, taking a seat at the bar. Cornerian mead was a beverage made from fermented honey, and was popular amongst those who didn't have the taste for other beverages.

"Mulled or not?" Ken asked. The wolf requested it mulled, and Ken dutifully poured the dark yellow liquid into a mug, mixed in some cinnamon, and then took a hot fireplace poker and stuck into the drink for a bit, warming it up, before presenting it to the wolf, who thanked the bear before taking a swig of the drink.

"Good stuff." The wolf said. Ken picked up a nearby glass and began cleaning it.

"So, what brings you here?" Ken asked.

"Just passing through." The wolf answered. "I'm on my way to the core." He said, referring to the center of the system where the Corneria and the other core worlds were located.

"Looking for work?" Ken asked.

"Yeah." He said, taking another sip of his drink. "I need to use your holosuite." He said, gesturing over toward a small booth that contained a holo-imager. Patrons would use it to communicate, or to view holo-recorders.

"Sure, no problem." Ken said, putting the now clean glass onto the shelf behind him. The wolf downed the rest of his drink and gave ken a twenty credit slip before heading over to the suite and closing the booth door, which automatically activated a sound suppressing system for private conversations. He reached into the pocket of his sweatshirt and removed a small, cylindrical plastic device, a holographic date recorder, and inserted into a circular slot on the console of the holosuite. The holoemitter flashed to life, and the visage of a male panther, face disfigured by a white scar that ran from underneath his right eye and down his cheek, appeared.

"Hello, Wolf." The panther, whose name was, not surprisingly, Panther Caruso, spoke. The wolf lowered the hood of his sweatshirt, revealing the hardened visage of Wolf O'Donnell, his right eye missing and replaced with a biomechanical implant. "If you're viewing this recorder, then I am probably dead, or in some other way incapacitated, and unable to deliver this message to you in person." Wolf nodded. During the final assault on the Aparoid homeworld, he and his team aided the Star Fox team in breaching the planet's defenses and attacking the Aparoid queen. Leon Powalski, one of his wingmen, was shot down and, Wolf presumed, killed during the initial assault. He and his other wingman, Panther, penetrated into the planet and cleared the way for Fox McCloud to attack the queen.

As they attempted to flee the planet, however, the access points they used to penetrate the interior began to close. Panther, in a display of great selflessness, used the shields of his fighter to hold open the "hatches", giving Wolf the precious few seconds he needed to escape. His last words before his fighter was crushed were a farewell to Wolf, and a cryptic last request for Wolf to "look under the vent". Wolf became separated from the attacking fleet and flew back to his Sargasso Space Zone hideout. He pondered Panther's final request for a few days, before chance came as he was cleaning out his quarters and heard a rattling noise coming from one of the air vents. A look inside turned up a data cylinder, and a note instructing him to take it someplace "where no one knew who he was" to be viewed, which was why Wolf was now at this dingy bar on a lawless mining colony, listening to the voice of his former friend speak to him from beyond the grave.

"What I am about to tell you may seem unbelievable, and perhaps even sound like the ravings of a madman, but it is something that you must hear." The image of Panther said. "I am sure that you remember the fourteenth of Nova, thirteen years ago." Wolf nodded.

"How could I forget?" He said. It was on that day, all those years ago, that his hatred for the one Fox McCloud had begun.

_Wolf O'Donnell awoke to the sound of fire engines and shouting men. It took him a minute to get his bearings, but he soon realized that he was in his neighborhood. Wolf stood up slowly and noticed an orange glow to his right. To his horror, he realized his house was on fire!_

_Fearing for his wife and two daughters, he ran toward the house calling their names, only to be stopped by a firefighter._

"_Sir, you can't go in there!" The firefighter, an avian, said to him._

"_My family is in there! I have to..." He noticed stretchers being carried from the house... with body bags on them._

"_I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but they didn't make it." He said. "A stray bomb hit this street. It looks like pro-Venomian terrorists." Wolf couldn't speak; he was too overcome with shock and grief to even utter a sound. All he could do was stand there, tears streaming down his face._

"_We're getting a report in, sir." Another firefighter said to the avian. "Witnesses are saying that a Venomian fighter and an Arwing were fighting, and a missile shot from the Arwing went off target and hit the street." _

"_Roger." The firefighter said._

Wolf had begun his plunge into darkness. Within days, he was contacted by the Venomian High Command, who informed him that the Arwing that had dislodged it's weapon was being piloted by none other than Fox McCloud. Wolf normally would not have believed such a thing, but in his grief and anger, he believed the farfetched explanation, and spent the next ten years of his life trying to destroy Fox and avenge his family. However, with the end of the Lylat War, and after having fought beside Fox during both the Aparoid invasion of Corneria and the attack on the Aparoid homeworld, he had begun to see Fox in a slightly different light, and had begun to question his earlier lust for vengeance.

"You have always believed that it was Fox McCloud who caused the death of your family so long ago, but I have uncovered something that will shatter that belief." The recording said. "I'm sure you're familiar with my skills at computer hacking." Wolf smiled, having witnessed said ability firsthand on many occasions. "Well, apparently, when the fascists abandoned Venom during the final Cornerian assault, they left most of their equipment behind, including their data banks. With a little keyboard jockeying, I was able to gain access to the former government's most intimate secrets, include top secret communications between the Venomian Special Service Bureau and it's field operatives, and found something quite interesting." Panther's face vanished, and was replaced by an official looking transcript. "This is a copy of a coded message sent by one of Bureau's field operatives. It was hell trying to crack the Venomian encryption code, but perseverance paid off, and here is the result." Wolf leaned in closer to get a look at the tiny letters. Wolf felt his heart enter his throat when he read the short, one line message.

"Operation successful. O'Donnels dead. Awating further instructions." Wolf couldn't believe what he was reading. The Venomians were responsible for the deaths of his wife and child?

"I reason that you're shocked by this." Panther's voice continued. "But this is just the tip of the iceberg. I also found this." The message disappeared and was replaced by another one, this one bearing the official seal of the Venomian Special Service Bureau (the "Special" being nothing more than a codeword for spying and sabotage). "This one comes courtesy from one of the top officials in the SSB, apparently detailing plans for a secret operation on Katina. Read on." He said. Wolf read the message, his hands trembling.

_Notice to all field operatives on Katina,_

_Our intelligence has revealed that one of Corneria's top pilots resides on Katina. The pilot's name is Wolf O'Donnell, top graduate of the Cornerian Military Academy, and now working for a private security firm on Katina. O'Donnell displays exceptional skill as a pilot and as a ground fighter, having excelled in both areas while in the service of the Cornerians. We believe that he will make a valuable asset should Star Fox get involved in any Cornerian resistance to our upcoming operation against Lylat. To that end, we have devised a plan to kill his family and make it appear that either the Cornerians or Star Fox were involved, in order to draw him to join us. This is a high-risk operation and entails total discretion._

_Brigadier Frederick Mann, Deputy Director, Special Service Bureau of the Venomian Empire_

Wolf was shocked beyond measure. For a long time now, he had begun to suspect that he had been lied to about Star Fox's involvement in his family's death. After they died, men whom he later found out were Venomian officials approached him with evidence that Star Fox, which had just come under the control of Fox McCloud following his father's death, was involved in his family's murder. The "evidence" that they did offer him was so flimsy that it wouldn't pass muster at a kangaroo court. But wolf had been blinded by grief and despair, and in that state, he accepted what the strangers told him. In a rage, he renounced his loyalties to Corneria and resolved to kill Fox McCloud and avenge his family. He spent the next thirteen years trying to get the upper hand on Fox, until the Aparoid conflict broke out, and he began to question his assumptions as he got to understand Fox better.

And now, he was finding out that the whole time, his anger had been misplaced. It was not Star Fox, but a Venomian black-op, that was responsible for his family's death. His service for Venom was nothing more than an insurance policy in case Star Fox got involved in the conflict.

Wolf snarled with rage. He couldn't believe that he could be used in such a fashion. The message on the holo-projector disappeared, replaced by Panther's visage.

"I know this may seem unbelievable, but it is the truth." Panther said. "You have been used, my friend. The Venomians needed someone to check Star Fox, and felt you were the one to do it. So, they murdered your family in cold blood, and fabricated a flimsy story about a band of mercenaries slaying them in order to draw you into their web." Wolf nodded. "But, I believe that this is an opportunity to set things right, my friend. I think you know what I mean. Farewell, old friend." With that, the recording ended.

Wolf knew quite well what he was talking about. He removed the data recorder and stepped out of the holosuite. He finished the rest of his mead and then paid Ken before stepping out into the cold desert night. As he walked down the main road, he spotted a young girl, apparently selling little candies for money. P-999 was formerly a Venomian mining colony, which in practice was little more than a concentration camp for political dissidents and other people considered to be enemies of Andross' fascist regime. As the system collapsed during the final days of the Lylat War, the local economy collapsed as well. As a result, many people were left poor and homeless. The Cornerian government had done it's best to help the area recover, but it was slow going.

Wolf also noticed that she had what appeared to be scars on her left cheek and arms, apparently a gift from one of the brutal Venomian security police who ran the prison camps. She was most likely the child of a former prisoner, a group of people hardest hit by the collapse of the economy following the war.

"I've spent the last thirteen years letting my humanity wither away," Wolf though, "it's about time I started letting it grow again." He walked over to the girl and took out a five hundred-credit slip, the last bit of money he had on him. It wasn't much by most standards, but with prices on the outer rim colonies at all time lows, that amount could feed the girl's family for at least three months.

"Here." Wolf said. "Take this home." The girl smiled and hugged Wolf.

"Thank you, sir." She said. Wolf gently returned the hug, and the girl scampered off home. Wolf smiled.

"I used to think being a good guy was for the weak." Wolf thought. "Now that I think about it, I could grow to like it." It was then he spied a coming taxi. Wolf flagged the cab down and stepped inside.

"Where to, pal?" The cabbie asked.

"The spaceport, on the double." The cabbie nodded and set off for the spaceport. Wolf sat back in his seat and reflected on everything that had just happened. It was said that the truth would set one free, and Wolf thought, truer words had never been spoken.

---

Fox gently nudged his way down the crowded aisle to the seats Pepper had picked out for them. The Graduation Ceremony for the cadets was about to begin. Fox took a seat next to Krystal, who took his hand as he sat down.

"I didn't expect this place to be so big." She said.

"Well, there are over fifty thousand cadets here at the Academy." Fox said. Krystal nodded and laid her head on his shoulder as the Commandant of the Academy, a large bulldog, took the podium and began to address the crowd. Fox didn't listen to his speech, as he stroked Krystal's hair, and was only drawn out of this when Pepper whispered over to him.

"Here they come." He said. Fox looked down into the entrance aisles as the Academy March began to play. The aisles were soon filled with a sea of black as the cadets began marching into the center, brass shining in the lights of the auditorium. Fox longingly thought back to his own graduation, walking down the gray concrete paths of the old outdoor auditorium, before it was torn down to make room for the new Convocation Center.

Fox smiled, looking out at the new generation of Cornerian officers. This was the first time since the Lylat War that the entire class was graduating. No one had failed out. The old Cornerian traditions of hard work and dedication were alive and well.

After the cadets had entered the auditorium and had been seated, a series of speeches began. The ceremony began with a prayer led by the Academy Chaplain, followed by speeches from the Commandant of the Academy, Chairman of the Military Council Gen. Frederick Casey, and Vice Chancellor of Lylat Richard Rice. Chancellor Thomas Marian was supposed to deliver the speech himself, but was unable to attend due to illness.

Following the round of speeches, which Fox thought was never going to end, the Commandant stood up and began the commissioning ceremony. At his orders, the cadets all rose from their seats and stood rigidly at attention. Fox smiled as the cadets marched into line and stepped up, one by one, to receive their commissions. Each cadet was met with thundering applause on receiving their certificate and the single solid pentagon rank insignia of the Lylatian military.

"There they are." Fox heard Pepper say. Fox looked down into the stream of cadets and spotted a lynx and canid. Sure enough, there were the cadets that Pepper had bragged about. Though he couldn't see in their faces, he could almost sense the pride that must have been swelling up inside of them as they marched forward, about too begin the next chapter of their lives.

---

Fox wasn't far off in this assessment. As the two began to mount the stage to receive their commissions, feelings of intense pride surged through their beings and threatened to burst through the serious expressions on their faces. The two mounted the stairs leading up to the stage, waiting anxiously for their turn to step forward. They didn't have to wait long, although it seemed like an eternity.

"Cadet Miyu Danielle Lynx, graduate with honors, Commandant's Seal of Excellence." The Commandant called. Miyu stepped forward, a smiled just showing on her face. She approached the commandant and saluted, a gesture returned by the Commandant, who proceeded to present her with her certificate and rank insignia. Faye followed suit, and could barley contain her excitement as she walked up the to Commandant and received her commission. She was so excited she almost tripped going down the stairs to return to her place in the ranks, but recovered in time and avoided an embarrassing moment. Miyu couldn't help but giggle lightly.

"Have a nice trip?" She asked in jest. Faye just giggled. They were too proud of themselves to be upset at anything.

---

As Fox and the others looked on, the cadets all stepped forward, received their commissions, and then stepped back into the ranks. At the conclusion of this, the Academy chaplain stepped forward and offered a prayer for the newly minted officers. Following the prayer, the Commandant stepped forward and pronounced them officers in the Lylatian Military. The cadets responded by cheering and throwing their caps into the air, jubilant those four years of arduous work had finally paid off, and they could now bask in the light of their accomplishment. At this, Pepper stood up and beckoned to the rest of the team.

"Come." He said. "Let's give them a surprise." Fox nodded and joined Pepper, followed by the rest of the team.

---

Faye and Miyu sprinted back to their dorm, following the short reception that had followed the ceremony, where numerous officers and officials congratulated the new officers. Along the way, they had to dodged underclassmen all too eager to grovel at them again. They finally arrived back at their dorm, out of breath from the running. They slumped down on the stairwell leading up to their floor, exhausted.

"All those years of Academy fitness training seem to have been for naught." Faye said. Miyu laughed.

"I need something to drink." She said. "Why don't you head on up, and I'll get us some water."?

"Alright, see you in a bit." Faye said, dragging herself up the stairs and down the hall to their room. She took her access card from her breast pocket and slid it through the reader on the door. The door hissed open, and Faye entered. She didn't see the other person until they spoke.

"Afternoon, Cadet." A voice said. Faye looked up to be greeted by the smiling face of Pepper himself. Shocked, it took her a moment to remember her military bearings.

"Oh, sir!" She yelped, snapping to attention and saluting. As a member of the General Command Staff, Pepper demanded all the courtesy that one would give to a superior officer. Pepper chuckled at her surprise.

"At ease, Cadet, or should I say Lieutenant." Pepper said. Faye took a deep breath to calm her nerves before lowering the salute.

"May I ask what brings you here, sir?" She asked.

"It has to do with your assignment." He said. He was about to continue when a cheery female voice called out.

"They really should think about repainting the rooms. The color is absolutely dreadful." To Faye's astonishment, a blue vixen emerged from her bathroom. "Oh, hello." She said to the astonished Faye. "You must be Ms. Spaniel. I'm Krystal, how are you?" Faye turned to Pepper, her blue eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Uh, are there anymore people hiding in my bathroom?" She said, eliciting a chuckle from Pepper and Krystal

"None that I know of." Krystal said.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what does she have to do with my assignment?" Faye asked. By this time, Miyu had joined them, and was equally surprised to see Pepper and Krystal.

"What's going on here?" She asked.

"As I was about to say, I'm sure you're quite familiar with the Star Fox team." Pepper said.

"Who isn't?" Miyu asked. Krystal smiled.

"Well, I've informed them of your accomplishments as cadets, and they're interested in having you join." Miyu and Faye looked at each other in shock.

"This isn't a prank?" Miyu asked. Pepper shook his head.

"Not at all! In fact, my companion here is a member." He said, pointing to Krystal, who was smiling.

"I can vouch for that fact." Krystal said. "So what do you say, you want to join?" Faye ran her hands through her hair in disbelief.

"But, we've just graduated. Don't we have a service commitment?" She asked. Just then, General Casey arrived.

"Ah, there you are sir." He said, saluting Pepper.

"General, I'll assume everything's taken care of?" He said. Casey nodded.

"Everything. I sure hate to lose such great pilots, but I'm sure they'll fit in quite nicely." He said, smiling. The girls pinched themselves. It hurt a lot, which ruled out the possibility that they were dreaming.

"So, what do you say?" Pepper asked. The girls beamed.

"You bet we're in." They both said. Pepper beamed.

"Well, then. Shall we meet the rest of the team?" The Girls nodded, feeling like schoolgirls on the first day of summer vacation.

---

"Sir, we've lost the signal." Dr. Bougainville walked over to the monitoring station, where the crew of K-45 had been keeping the sensors monitoring the surface, and the strange signals being detected, under constant surveillance. Up until now, the signal had remained constant, but now...

"What do you mean you've lost it?" Bougainville asked. The crewman manning the sensor station pointed to the area of the map where the signal had been detected.

"I was steady a moment ago, and then whatever it was just stopped transmitting." The crewman, a young raccoon, said. "I'm running another sensor scan to try to locate it, but I think it's gone." Bougainville sighed.

"This will make Star Fox's job twice as difficult." He said. "Sweep the area again and try to find that signal." The crewman nodded, and began running a wide scan sensor sweep, which covered the entire map area with the station's powerful sensor array. He scanned the planet's surface for about twenty minutes, finding nothing but the usual assortment of lifeforms and background noise. He was about to call it quits when he spotted something on the sensor display next to him, which ringed the habitat ring of the station, looking outward into space. Looking closer, he spotted a small blip toward the edge of the display, about seven parsecs away from the station. It could only mean one thing, a ship.

"Sir, we've got something on the deep space sensors." He called. Bougainville rushed over.

"What is it?" He asked. The crewman indicated the blip on the sesor.

"Looks like a ship, sir." He said. As they watched, the blip suddenly disappeared. The ship had gone into hyperspace, and was no longer visible to sensors. "The only ships I've seen out this far have been science ships or military ships. I wonder who they were?" Bougainville scoffed.

"Probably pirates or smugglers." He said. "Just ignore it, the military will take care of them. Anything on the planetary scans?"

"No sir." The crewman said. "I ran multiple scans. Whatever that signal was, it's gone now." Bougainville nodded.

"Keep an eye on the sensors." He said. "If it shows up again, alert me. I'll be with Commander McFaul, overseeing repairs to his ship."

"Will do." The crewman replied, returning to his sensors.

---

Faye and Miyu pattered along behind Pepper and Krystal. They had since changed out of their uniforms and into their regular street clothes. Faye had gone with a simple pair of tight-fitting jeans and white t-shirt with a navy blue athletic logo. She wore blue high-tops on her feet, and over one shoulder was slung her dull green academy-issue duffel bag, which contained most of her clothes and meager possessions. Miyu followed, likewise carrying her duffel bag over her shoulder. Miyu was dressed in a black t-shirt and pants, with white sneakers and a denim vest. Pepper led them back to the vehicles, where the rest of the team was waiting for them.

Fox looked at the two former cadets. Neither of them would have been what one would think of when they thought of an Academy graduate. In fact, they looked like two high school girls on their way to the mall. They certainly didn't look like trained military pilots, but Fox knew better than to judge a book by it's cover. He smiled as the two girls approached him.

"You must be Faye and Miyu." He said. Both of them blushed. Fox McCloud was a hero to them. It was him who inspired them to join the Academy and train to become pilots. To be addressed by their idol, it was enough to make them blush like schoolgirls.

"Yes." Both of them blurted out. Fox chuckled. These two were like peas in a pod, answering a question at the same time. Reminded him of himself and Slippy back when they were kids.

"Congratulations on graduating." Fox said. "You two must be proud of yourselves." He could just make out the hint of a blush on Faye's face. Miyu could too, rolling her eyes at here friends shyness.

"Why, yes sir." She said. Fox chuckled.

"There's no need to be formal with us." He said. "We're a pretty informal bunch of guys," he looked at Krystal, "and girls." Krystal giggled.

"I heard you two have some hot skills." Falco said. "From Pepper says, you guys have a pretty good knack for thinking on your feet." Faye nodded.

"Especially her." Faye said, pointing to Miyu. "You should have seen her on her finals. Six fighters, three out of a star and three from below, and she vaped them all and her escorts didn't suffer a scratch. Unlike me." She said.

"Really, now?" Fox said. "Skills like that would really help us out, especially now."

"We have a mission?" Faye asked.

"Yes." Fox said. "A weird one, but a mission nonetheless. Speaking of which, we'll be needing transportation." He said, turning to Pepper.

"It's already been taken care of." Pepper said. "In fact, I have another surprise for you." Fox cocked his head.

"Dare I ask?" He said. Pepper chuckled.

"Well, follow me, and I'll show you." He said, getting into one of the cars. The team, new members in tow, joined him. A short drive later, they arrived at the Corneria City Spaceport, where they caught a shuttle into orbit.

"What are we doing up in orbit?" Fox asked.

"You'll see." Pepper said. A few minutes later, they pulled in front of the Space Dynamics Shipyard, and sitting inside the massive gantry was..

"The_Great Fox!" _Fox shouted. Indeed, sitting in the shipyard was an exact replica of the original _Great Fox, _just as it would have looked when it was first built.

"Yes, except this _Great Fox _is equipped with all the latest technologies in ship design you can think of, improved engines, sensors, improved shields and weapons, thicker hull armor, the works." Fox just gaped at the ship sitting in the yard.

"I don't know what to say, except thank you." Fox said. Pepper smiled.

"You can thank the people of Lylat for this one." He said. "A special 'thank you' gift for stopping the Aparoid menace."

"I'll shout it from every rooftop in Corneria City." Fox said. The rest of team chuckled, as the shuttle pulled up to the yard and docked with the ship, allowing the team to board. The inside of the ship was set up just like on the original. The individual quarters each contained a bed, a desk, and a communications screen. Between the quarters and the bridge was a common area where the team could eat and socialize. The common area was equipped with a bar, a lounge, a hologram communicator, and a pair of replicators from which they could order any type of food they wanted.

The team walked up the corridor leading to the bridge, which was just they way they remembered it on the original _Great Fox. _Control panels were set up on both sides of the bridge, along with an engineering station towards the rear. In the middle of the bridge sat the captain's chair, which Fox wasted no time jumping into, eliciting a laugh from his crewmates. Hanging in front of the transparent aluminum bridge windows was a large holoscreen for the purpose of receiving communications and, sitting dormant over by the front viewports, was the team's old AI, ROB.

"Well Fox, what do you think? Is she up to standard?" Pepper asked. Fox smirked.

"Well, if that wasn't a stupid question." He said. Pepper chuckled loudly.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said. "I'll leave you to your mission now. I wish you all the best of luck." He said, saluting the team. The rest of the team returned the salute before Pepper left the ship. Slippy took his position at the engineering station, whilst the rest of the team went to go pick out quarters.

"Patch me through to the yard control, Slip." Fox said. Slippy activated the ship's communications system and patched through to the shipyard traffic control center. After receiving permission to leave the dock, the gangways leading up the ship were withdrawn, and Fox, with intense concentration, slowly eased the ship out from the yard. Once he had passed into open space, he set a course for Station K-45, and ROB came to life.

"Good afternoon, sir." He said in his monotone voice. Fox nodded in acknowledgement. Due to the influence of the gravity wells of the planet, they couldn't go into hyperspace for another few minutes. As the ship trudged along, Slippy noticed something on the sensor screen.

"Hey Fox." He said. Fox turned to face him. "We've got a ship approaching. It's on an intercept vector." Fox got up and peered over Slippy's shoulder at the sensor readout. Sure enough, there was a ship on an intercept vector towards the _Great Fox. _Fox looked at Slippy with a look of surprise tinged with nervousness on his face.

"Hail them." He said. Slippy opened a communications channel to the ship and pushed a button marked "HAIL" on the communications console, sending out a standard ship's hail to the mysterious intruder. The two waited about thirty seconds. The ship did not respond. Slippy sent out a second hail, and they waited again, with the same result. Fox was about to sound the alarm when ROB chimed in

"Incoming transmission." The old robot said.

"Patch it through." Fox ordered. The holoscreen lowered and flickered to life, revealing only a black screen. Fox was surprised. "Slip, is there anything wrong with the holoscreen?" He asked.

"Nah, he's just sending a text only message. Here." Slippy replied. He pushed a key on the console, and a miniature keyboard appeared from in front of the captain's chair. Fox took a seat just as text began to appear on the screen.

RQST PTD

Needless to say, Fox was confused. He had never used a text communication before.

"Text only messages are rendered shorthand so as not to clog the system. It says 'request permission to dock'". Slippy said, noticing Fox's confusion. Not an expert at shorthand, Fox simply typed, "Identify yourself" on the keyboard and pressed the "transmit" key. The letters flashed on the screen already shortened.

ID YRSLF

Fox didn't have to wait long for a response.

CNNT ID PRSNTLY

"He says 'Cannot identify presently''. Slippy said. "Whoever he is, he's secretive."

"I'll say." Fox said. As he spoke, another message flashed on the screen.

NO THRT

Fox hazarded a guess that the other ship was trying to say that they were not a threat. Fox thought for a second about what to do. If he allowed the ship to dock with them, and they turned out to be a threat, then he put his crew in danger. On the other hand, if he didn't, the ship might risk an attack on the _Great Fox _if they were a threat, or if they weren't, they would leave, and possibly take some valuable information with them. Fox quickly made his decision.

"Slip, call the team together. Tell them to come to the docking bay, armed." He ordered. Slippy was surprised.

"You're going to let them dock? Then what's with the weapons?" Slippy asked.

"I want to have all my bases covers." Fox replied. Slippy shrugged and got on the intercom to alert the team. Fox typed, "Permission to dock granted" on the keyboard and transmitted.

PTD GRNTD

The other ship quickly replied.

TY

Fox supposed this meant thank you. He got up from his chair and followed Slippy to the armory near the back of the habitat area of the ship. Fox pressed his palm onto the palm reader to open the door of the armory. The door whooshed open, and they both retrieved their blasters, which had somehow ended up in the armory of the new ship, which Fox surmised had been an arrangement by Pepper. They also retrieved two blasters for Faye and Miyu, and then joined the rest of the team and headed down to the docking bay, where an airlock for docking with large ships was located. They didn't have very long to wait, as the bay soon rung with the sound of a ship docking with the _Great Fox, _and the green light indicating the airlock was in use flashed on. The door to the airlock whooshed open, and there, clad in a black leather jacket, flight pants, combat boots, and black t-shirt was.

"Wolf!" Fox shouted. Indeed, Wolf O'Donnell was now standing in front of them, little expression on his face, hands in the pockets of his jacket. All of the team members, Faye and Miyu included, drew their weapons and aimed them at him, expressions of shock and fear on their faces.

Wolf sighed. He wasn't surprised at their reactions to his arrival. When you live your life where the arrival of someone meant possible death, you couldn't help but be defensive when they suddenly showed up.

"There's no need to pull your pieces, I'm unarmed." He said to them, opening his jacket to show he had no weapons. "I can let strip search me, if you want."

"You can take your boots off, thank you!" Falco hissed. Wolf rolled his eyes.

"That last bit there was a joke, but if it'll make you happy." He bent down, undid his combat boots, and slipped them off, showing he was hiding nothing. "Satisfied?" Fox nodded.

"Alright, you're unarmed." He said. He motioned to the rest of the team to lower their weapons, which they reluctantly did. "Now, do you mind telling us what you're doing here?"

"I here you guys have another job from Pepper." Wolf replied. Fox narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know about that?" He asked.

"I'm fairly proficient at hacking. I just took a look at Pepper's communication's logs. He called Peppy and you to his office, and was talking with some other people about some weird stuff on some rock he wanted you to investigate, so here I am." Wolf said. "Where is the old fellow, anyway?"

"Peppy? He's back with Pepper, monitoring us." Fox said. "Why are you concerned about our mission?"

"One of the logs mentioned cloaked ships." Wolf said. "I figured the Venomians were up to something big if they were using cloaked ships to tramp around the area, and if they're up to what I think they're up to, I might be able to lend a hand." Needless to say, Fox was shocked at his last statement. Wolf, Fox's sworn enemy, was offering to help them. The rest of the team could scarcely believe it, especially Falco, and he said so.

"I know it sounds hard to believe, but I think once you hear me out, you will." Wolf said. "That beef that I had with you, Fox, it's done. I was stupid to begin with."

"What do you mean?" Slippy said.

"I haven't told anyone this, especially you, but when Andross formed Star Wolf, he did so to form a counterpoint to Star Fox to keep them out of the war." He said. "He assembled the best pilots he could find, and chose me to lead them. He knew I would never leave my family on Katina, so he gave me a reason to."

"Which was?" Fox asked.

"He had my family murdered, and dressed it up to look like Star Fox did." Wolf said. "That's why I've been fighting you all for the past thirteen years. Revenge. But I've learned now that I'm mistaken. I won't go into detail, because I have more urgent things to say, but you have to believe me." Fox was beginning to feel his suspicion melt away. Sure, it was a crazy and unbelievable tale, but for some reason, he felt he could trust Wolf, despite their past. The tone of his voice was sincere, almost pleading with them to believe him. The rest of the team looked like they didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth, but Krystal spoke up.

"He's telling the truth, Fox." Krystal said. "I can sense it. He means what he says." Fox turned to his wife and nodded. Then he turned to Wolf.

"Krystal is a telepath." He explained. "Her senses have never failed us before, and I have no reason not to trust them now. We'll listen to what you have to say." Falco looked nervous at Fox's decision, but he didn't say anything. Fox was right, Krystal's sense had never been wrong before.

"Thank you." Wolf said. "It'll take a little while for me to explain everything. Is there a place where we can sit?" Fox nodded.

"There's a conference room near the quarters." He said. "We can go there." They then left the docking bay and made for the lounge, which could double as a briefing and conference room. Along the way, Fox spoke with Krystal.

"You're certain he's telling the truth?" Fox said. Krystal nodded.

"I'm positive." She replied. "Everything he said was the truth. I could even sense his memories of the event." She teared up a little. "It was awful, having to see the bodies of his family taken away." Fox put a hand on her shoulder.

"He said he needed to tell us something." He said. "What do you make of it?"

"I didn't get a chance to see, but I could tell that it's something he feels is extremely important." She replied. "He desperately wants to tell us. I did sense that it had something to do with the insurgency, but beyond that, I don't know."

"Alright." Fox said. "We'll find out." He still had a fair amount of suspicion in his voice. After all, it was Wolf, and like Wolf had said, after all the time they had spent hating each other, he couldn't help but feel suspicious.

---

"Sir, something weird is going on." The young crewman called. The watch officer on K-45's control deck came over.

"What is it?" The watch officer asked.

"There's another signal." The crewman replied. He pointed to a blip on the map of the area the signal had been spotted before. "Now, it's closer to the mountains." Indeed, the signal had reappeared near the foot of a small mountain range, which rose out of the jungle near the edge of the quadrant. Whatever was making the signal, it was moving.

"Keep watching it." The watch officer said. "I'll alert Dr. Bougainville."

"Will do, sir." The crewman replied, turning his attention to the sensor display. Hopefully, the both thought, Star Fox would be able to get to the bottom of this mystery.

---

"Alright, spill it." Falco demanded. "What is it that's so important."

"Be patient, Falco!" Krystal scolded. Wolf sat down on the lounge chair.

"First off, a question. Are any of you familiar with Talaron?" They all, Slippy included, shook their heads. Wolf continued.

"It's a highly unstable form of radiation developed by the Venomians shortly before the war began." He said. "Basically, it takes any organic material it comes into contact with and destroys it. Nothing left." Krystal shuddered.

"You mean it can completely destroy _living _beings?" She asked. Wolf nodded.

"The Venomians wanted something that could wipe out entire defending armies in a single stroke. Talaron was the answer. Combine the stuff with an energy source, such as a missile blast, and a tiny amount could scour a thirty-mile area clean of life, trees, animals, and people." Wolf explained. "But there was a problem with the stuff. Namely, Talaron was highly unstable. _Any _energy source could set it off, even heat and electricity. Made the stuff notoriously difficult to store. That, and it was expensive to produce. A few dozen tons of the stuff carried a price tag of over three hundred billion dollars. Not something for an army on a budget. So, not surprisingly, Andross pulled the funding for the Talaron project and focused it on creating those biomechanical horrors he's now so famous for."

"Whatever became of the Talaron?" Fox asked.

"When they realized the Cornerians were coming, Andross' top generals had the stuff smuggled out and covertly destroyed." Wolf answered. "Or, at least that's what they said happened. Rumors flew around that they had the some of the stuff stashed on a remote planet that they could go to should they ever decide they wanted to take power again."

"And you believe those rumors?" Fox asked. He found the story of hidden caches of superweapons unbelieveable.

"I don't think so, I _know _so." Wolf said.

"You're nuts." Fox said.

"Not really. I have something that you might find interesting." He said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a piece of paper. He tossed it to Fox, who caught it in midair. "Read it, you'll be surprised." He said. Fox unfolded the paper and read it. His eyes widened when he read it.

"It's an official memo from the Venomian Intelligence Bureau... detailing a secret op to remove 300 canisters of Talaron B to a secret location. It doesn't say where." Fox said. "It's a genuine memo. It's got the right code and everything."

"I believe that the planet you guys have been sent to investigate is the secret location described in the memo." Wolf said.

"Why do you say that?" Faye said.

"It's simple." Wolf said. "If you guys had looked at the geological reports from the planet survey, you'd know that the area where the signal was detected is laced with underground caves."

"You think the Venomians hid the stuff in the caves?" Falco said. "But how do you know that that planet is the one where they hid the stuff?"

"That's where the cloaked ships that have been detected in the area come in." Wolf said. "There's been a lot of interest in the insurgent camp about the planet, and I think it's because of the Talaron. They've figured out that this planet is where it's been hidden, and they're determined to get their hands on it."

"What does it mean for Lylat?" Fox asked.

"Each of the canisters contains about ten kilograms of Talaron." Wolf said. "If you do the math, that adds up to about three thousand kilograms of Talaron. In order to build a Talaron weapon, such as a missile with a Talaron warhead, you need only about a microgram of the stuff." Fox couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"They could build thousands of weapons with those canisters." He said.

"Each one with the power to kill everyone within a thirty mile radius of the impact." He said. "You guys think the terrorist attacks in the outer rim are bad now, if the insurgents get their hands on the stuff, they won't be satisfied to stick to the outer rim. They'll start coming in to the main system and attacking the major cities. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, could die in a single raid." Krystal shuddered just thinking about. Although she had seen plenty of violence in her life, the idea that someone could slaughter millions of innocent people made her physically ill.

"Well Fox, what do we do?" Falco asked. Fox pondered for a moment.

"Alright Wolf, we'll let you onboard." He said. "I want you to help us take this cache out before the Venomians can get it."

"I'll do what I can." Wolf said.

"ROB, are we clear to go to hyperspace yet?" He asked.

"Yes sir." ROB answered. "Shall I set course?"

"Yes, enter hyperspace on my mark." Fox said. "I'll need you to detach your ship, Wolf." Wolf pressed a button on his wristband, and the ship attached to _Great Fox _pulled away, but not before another smaller ship, a Wolfen, pulled out of the ship and docked with the _Great Fox. _"Alright ROB, mark!" The _Great Fox _shot a green beam out from its nose, punching a hole into hyperspace, and then entered it. The team departed for their respective cabins, Falco remaining behind to talk to Fox.

"You sure you want to let him onboard?" He whispered. "After all, it is Wolf." Fox nodded.

"I know, but Krystal says he's sincere, and I trust her." He said. "I'll be keeping an eye on him, but I believe he's telling the truth." Falco shrugged and departed to his cabin. Fox sighed. He hoped he wasn't misplacing his trust.


	5. The Crystal Mountains

Chapter Four: The Crystal Mountains

Chapter Four: The Crystal Mountains

The only way for one to visualize what it was like to travel through hyperspace was to actually go through a hyperspace jump. Words simply could not describe the kaleidoscope of colors that danced around the ship as it sojourned through hyperspace. The bridge of the _Great Fox _was bathed in a rainbow of greens, blues, and the occaisional splash of purple, red, and pink as it slipped through hyperspace on the way to K-45. Fox leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head, relaxing. Ships traveling through hyperspace were advised to keep the bridge window blast shields, large metal panels that covered the windows to protect from impacts, closed, due to the fact the sight of a hyperspace tunnel could produce a hypnotic effect on the bridge crew, but Fox and the others found it soothing, making it easier for them to work. The atmosphere on the bridge of the _Fox _was one of relaxation and peace, with the exception of one person.

Wolf stood in the hatchway leading to the main corridor of the ship, leaning against the bulkhead. The expression on his face wasn't one of relaxation or contentment. He was worried. He was worried that the team might be too late, that he hadn't warned them in time.

If his suspicions were correct, then all the recent activity from Venominan insurgents in the area meant that the Venomians at least suspected that the Talaron cache was located on P-4412. It was the only reason he could think of for the Venomians to be so interested in the planet. Wolf had seen the effects of Talaron firsthand, when he was working for the Venomians. The Venomians, in flagrant violation of every moral standard in the known universe, tested new weapons on prisoners, being particular fond of political prisoners and Lylatian prisoners of war. Wolf cringed with disgust as he remembered the test he had witnessed. It was on a woman convicted of "counter-revolutionary activities" for publishing an editorial critical of Andross' regime. The woman was forced into a chamber, and pure Talaron was introduced into the room. Since this Talaron was not energized, it affected the victim slowly. Wolf remembered the woman's screams as her body was reduced to carbon slowly, her flesh blackening and crumbling away before his eyes. The man administering the test had the nerve to ask him if he wanted to carry the stuff with him on his missions. Having a greater sense of morality than anyone under Andross' command, he refused to carry the God-awful weapon, much to the chagrin of his wingman Leon Powalski, who reveled in causing pain.

He didn't need to see the insurgents in action to know that they would not hesitate to use the Talaron. Most of the insurgent groups were leftover units from the old Imperial Army, including regiments of the infamous Emperor's Fist special forces group, nicknamed the "Black Fists" because of their emblem. Of the 200 former Venomian officials wanted for war crimes by the Lylatian government and the Venomian Provisional Government, 125 of them were from the Black Fists.

Major General Frederick Clay Schneider, commanding general of the Sixth Division of the Black Fists, led the invasion of the Lylatian colonies of Eiser, Vara, and Nova Sanctum... and massacred over ten thousand Lylatian prisoners of war each from the Fifth and Second Corps of the Lylatian Army. Following the war, he fled with the rest of his division across the outer rim, and Lylatian intelligence now believed that he was in charge of insurgent raiding parties attacking and pillaging colonial towns along the rim.

Brigadier General Wolfgang Hauptmann, commander of the Eight Brigade, Third Division of the Venomian army, solved the problem of a huge pro-Lylat presence on the neutral colony of P-239... by bombing most of them with nerve gas and herding the rest into concentration camps, where they were used as slave labor and worked to death. By the time the Lylatians liberated the colony, only three hundred were left out of originally one million prisoners. Intelligence now believed him to be commanding a brigade in Sector P. Where, no one knew.

General Bruno Spiers, the chief of the Intelligence Bureau, also served as Andross' chief torturer, inventing all kinds of horrific methods that Wolf didn't care to recall. Lylatian Intelligence had no clue where he was, and were hunting for him twenty-four/seven, him being one of the top five most wanted.

Doctor George Marshall, a former scientist with the Lylatian military who became seduced by the fascist party and their message of genetic supremacy. Following Andross' exile, he fled to Venom with him, and became his chief researcher. He oversaw the Special Weapons Division of the Venomian Military Research and Development department, where he conducted horrific experiments on living people, mostly "invalids", or people deemed by the government to be genetically inferior, and thus disposable. Besides the journalist woman upon whom the Talaron was tested, a horror Wolf had been witness to, Marshall also oversaw the testing of his personal favorite project... germ weapons. He particularly favored Titanian plague, a crippling disease which attacked the lungs, causing death by drowning when the vessels and capillaries of the lungs, weakened by the disease, burst and filled the victim's lungs with blood. The Lylatian and Venomian governments believed the "Death Angel of Venom" killed between fifty thousand and two hundred thousand people, most of who's only crime was being, by fascist standards, "inferior".

Wolf shook himself from out of these thoughts and focused on the job that was coming. If he was right, and the insurgents had found the location of the Talaron, then they would go all out to recover it. That meant diverting a large force to the planet to search for the stuff, possibly an entire division, fifteen thousand troops. Although Star Fox had distinguished themselves against the Venomians during the Lylat war, most of their missions had been in their Arwings, not on the ground. Though he had no doubts about Fox and his team's abilities in combat, fighting on the ground was much different then fighting in the air. Fox had proven himself to be quite capable at fighting on the deck, as evidenced by his performance in beating back the Aparoid attack on Corneria during the Crisis. Still, a division was a lot of troops.

If they found themselves outnumbered and outgunned, and if they failed to prevent the Venomians from recovering the Talaron, he feared that it wouldn't matter if they survived the battle or not, as there would be no Lylat to return to once the insurgents got through with them.

Wolf shook his head again, forcing these thoughts from his head. Stay positive, he told himself. There's no need to start thinking the worst. He decided to head to lounge to rest a bit, as they still had a bit before they arrived. He was halfway down the gangway when he realized someone was following him.

"Are you alright?" Krystal asked. Wolf turned to see she had followed him from the bridge.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said rather quickly. Krystal could sense that this wasn't true.

"You forget that I'm a telepath." She said, crossing her arms. Wolf sighed. There was no use. You obviously couldn't hide anything from her.

"Yeah, you're right." He said. "Truth is, I'm worried. The Venomians have God only knows how long of a head start on us. They may have already found the stuff." He said. "I've seen what it can do to people." He clenched his fists. "And those damn fascists would think nothing of bombing an entire city, an entire _planet, _just to cow the system into submission. It was only by pure timing that they didn't get a chance to use the stuff during the war." Krystal didn't say anything at first. She slipped into a deep thought.

_The ships in orbit around the planet. The missiles streaking toward the surface. The green energy wave sweeping across the surface, leaving it bleak and barren. Her cries of agony as she realized she would never see her family again._

Krystal had long suspected the Venomians had something to do with the destruction of Cerinia, and now that she had learned of their doomsday weapon, her suspicions had grown. Could Andross have ordered the destruction of her people? And if so, for what purpose did it serve? From what she had heard of Andross and his fascists, no act of cruelty was below them. Wolf noticed that she was quiet.

"You okay?" He asked. Krystal shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine." She said. "I was just thinking..."

"That Venom might have something to do with the destruction of your home planet." Wolf finished for her. When she looked at him incredulously, he smirked slightly. "I'm familiar with your past, mostly from the countless number of news reports that have been done about your team." He said. "What exactly happened?" Krystal shuddered, as though remembering made her ill.

"Well, I don't usually like to talk about it, but I'll tell you." She replied. For some reason, she felt she could trust Wolf, despite his past with the team. "It happened the day my brother became a warrior, the day he got married."

"You had a brother?" Wolf asked, surprised. Krystal smiled.

"Yes." She said. "I think I was closer with him than with any other member of my family. He was the kindest, gentlest fellow you would ever meet. There wasn't a mean bone is his body. The only time I ever saw him angry was when he was defending me from bullies." She wiped the tear that had begun to form in her eye away as she spoke. "When I was a little girl, he would take me hiking in the hills outside of our village with him, or fishing in the little stream nearby. He never failed in catching at least a dozen fish."

"Sounds like a good guy." Wolf said. Krystal nodded and continued.

"He was." She said. "When he finished his training and was tapped, is when it happened. One moment, we were celebrating his marriage, the next, we were fighting for our lives. They came out of nowhere, dozens of them dressed in black uniforms, and began killing everyone they saw. I managed to flee with my brother to an escape ship, but before he could get on, more soldiers attacked us." It was then that Krystal really began to tear up. "My brother, he... he fought with the soldiers, buying the time for the ship to take off. He... sacrificed himself for me." She began to cry, unable to continue the story. Wolf didn't need to hear the rest to know the Venomians were probably behind the attack. If he knew the Venomians, they killed the Cerinians in cold blood due to their vicious disregard for anyone they considered to be "inferior" especially other species, whom they considered to be the lowest of the low. He put a comforting hand on Krystal's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He said. Krystal shook her head.

"Don't be," she said, "I'll be okay. In fact, It feels good to tell my story sometimes. Thank you for listening." Wolf smiled.

"Don't mention it." He said. Then he yawned. "I think I'm going to rest for a while." He said. Krystal nodded and left the room, returning to the bridge. Wolf yawned again and lay down on the couch, kicking his boots off and laying his head on the cushion, before closing his eyes and allowing sleep to take him.

--

The doors of the bridge hissed open as Krystal stepped onto it, having to squint slightly until her eyes adjusted to the bright light of hyperspace. Fox, who had been drifting off to sleep himself, awoke to see her take her seat at the navigator's station, formerly occupied by Peppy, who would use the station to work on his star charts, as well as navigate the ship. He noticed the look on her face, as though she had been crying slightly. Concerned, he got up from his seat and went over to her.

"Are you okay, hun?" He asked. Krystal looked up at him, sensing his concern.

"Yes Fox." She said. "I've just been talking to Wolf." Fox cocked his head.

"What for?" He asked, wondering what she could be talking about with Wolf.

"He's worried." Krystal answered. "He's worried that we might not be in time to stop the Venomians from getting their hands on the Talaron." She shuddered slightly. "I sensed his memories, of how the Venomians used to test it, on prisoners." Fox grimaced. He had heard about Venomian war crimes, but he couldn't imagine what it would be like to witness those atrocities.

"Don't worry about it, Krys." Fox said. "We'll find that stuff before they do. We'll make sure those scum can't hurt anyone. I promise." Krystal smiled. Fox wasn't the type to worry about failure. For him, the only possible outcome was success and victory, and nothing else. Krystal admired her husband for this never-say-die attitude, for his refusal to accept defeat no matter what the circumstances. She stood up and embraced him. Fox returned the gesture affectionately, even kissing her on the cheek. Their tender moment was brought to an end when the light of hyperspace disappeared and ROB announced that they had arrived at the station. Fox and Krystal separated and observed the station, a tiny manifestation of Lylatian presence in the darkness of space, orbiting the massive planet.

"Incoming transmission." ROB announced. Fox motioned for him to bring up the message. The bridge holoscreen deployed and came to life, revealing the wizened face of an old badger. Fox assumed him to be the director of the station.

"Greetings Star Fox." The badger said. "I'm Doctor Henry Bougainville, director of K-45." Fox nodded. "I'm sure the secretary has briefed you on the situation?"

"We hear things are going bump in the night out here." He said. By now, the rest of the team, Wolf, Faye and Miyu included, had gathered on the bridge.

"That's putting things lightly." Bougainville replied. "I've been working out here for almost two years, and I've seen all manner of bizarre phenomenon, but what I've encountered out here boggles even my mind." The team listened with rapt attention as Bougainville addressed them. "As you are already aware, this all began when we encountered the E-band signal on the planet's surface, and from there it went from one bizarre event to the next. First, when the station was attacked by insurgents, the _Kestrel _was forced into battle and was nearly destroyed by missile frigates, when a massive burst of energy erupted from the planet's surface and destroyed the offending Venomian ships, but the _Kestrel _was unharmed."

"We're familiar with that event." Fox said. "What else has been going on?" A satellite map of the area appeared on the bridge screen, a blip appearing where the signal had originally been detected. "The signal, and the energy pulse I described, originated here, right where the jungle borders the mountainous region. It remained there for several hours, until we discovered this." The blip disappeared, and another appeared, this time in the foothills of the nearby mountain range. "The signal appears to have moved to the base of these mountains. The distance is approximately five miles, a substantial move if it's being generated artificially." Fox nodded.

"What if the source is natural?" He asked.

"It's a possibility, however remote." Bougainville said. "If that turns out to be the case, then it will turn out to be a monumental discovery." He said.

"What kind of terrain are we dealing with?" Fox asked.

"Mostly standard mountain terrain." Bougainville replied. "A great deal of steep grades make up the portion where the signal was detected. There is also a large population of predatory animals, so I'd advise you to be armed." Falco smirked.

"Oh, don't worry about that." He said. "We never leave the ship without a blaster strapped to our sides." Fox rolled his eyes.

"Have their been any anthroid signatures detected?" Krystal asked. "I keep thinking about the possibility of Venomian troops on the planet." Bougainville shook his head.

"We have not detected any signatures of that sort." He replied. "But owing to recent events, I would not discount the possibility of any troops on the planet. We will keep our ground sensors running round the clock to make sure." Fox nodded.

"Thank you." He said.

"I'll stay on the ship, keeping the guns ready to support you guys if there are any." Slippy said.

"I'll stay too, and keep my arwing on standby." Falco said. Fox nodded.

"Alright then. Krystal, Faye, Miyu, Wolf, you're with me." He said. "ROB, have the dropship ready to go. Load it up with weapons and supplies, at least three days worth. We could be down there for a while.

"Yes sir." ROB replied in his monotone voice. He left the bridge and went down to the hangar to prepare the teams dropship, which they referred to as "Seraph", after the guardian angels of Lylatian religion. The team gave the ship, a military grade T-14 dropship with significant modifications (courtesy of Slippy), this nickname due to the fact that it saved them on more than one occasion. Fox turned to the rest of the team.

"Let's suit up and head out." He said. The rest of the team nodded and went off to their respective cabins to get their gear together.

--

The late afternoon sky of Eledard was as bright as early morning on other planets. Due to the colony's distance away from Solar, the day was longer compared to the inner core worlds. The rising of Solar lit the planet up like any bright morning on Corneria or Katina, illuminating the rocky grasslands that made up the majority of the planets surface. Vast herds of native animals roamed across the open grasslands. In the distance from the grasslands, low mountain ranges loomed like the backs of many whales appearing from beneath the surface of a vast green ocean. The light of Solar spilled over the tops of the mountains, giving them a majestic appearance only early morning on other worlds could bring.

The beauty of the "dawn" was far from the mind of the lone soldier who stood on a small hill over looking a small army base, an A24 blast rifle in his hands and a stern look on his face. He was dressed in the standard battle uniform of the Lylatian Army; camouflage uniform shirt and pants equipped with an ATE (Adapt to Environment) system that could change the pattern of the fabric to match any terrain (in this case, light green plains camouflage), a pair of combat boots that were likewise camouflaged, and black army beret bearing the seal of the Lylatian Army, a armor vest equipped with a micro shield generator for the Personal Defense Shield (PDS) that all Lylatian soldiers carried, and an eyepiece that formed the basis of the AWS (Advanced Warfighter System). On his side he carried a small medical kit, a combat knife, and PAD. On his sleeves, he bore the two stripes of a corporal, and on his right shoulder the ivy logo of the Fourth Infantry Division

The sentry yawned. He had been on watch since five in the morning, when it was still pitch black, and his body, not used to the difference in the amount of daylight, was desperately crying out for more sleep. He almost nodded off twice, but managed to stop himself.

The soldier was part of one of the most famous units in the Lylatian Army, the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, better known as the Iron Brigade. The brigade earned this nickname during the Lylat War against Venom. During the defense of Katina's capital city of Korsa, the brigade was deployed on the hills outside the city with orders to block the Venomian advance on the city. The brigade held off the Venomian force, which consisted of two infantry divisions and an armored division, over thirty thousand troops and hundreds of tanks, for nearly four hours before they were forced to withdraw. The brigade lost over two thousand five hundred of its five thousand men, dead, wounded or missing, a casualty rate of over fifty percent. During the battle, a Venomian captain, seeing the fierce resistance the brigade was putting up, remarked, "They must be made of iron". Following the battle, the men of the brigade took prisoners from amongst some decimated Venomian infantry regiments, who informed the brigade of this fact. Since then, the moniker of "Iron Brigade" had stuck with the unit.

The moniker was reflected in the brigade's standard, which flew over one of the buildings in the center of the camp. The standard was the basic blue unit standard of a Lylatian brigade. In the center of the standard was the symbol of the brigade; a golden shield with the globe and starburst emblem of Lylat as its crest, in the center of which was an armored fist clutching a blacksmith's hammer, representing the iron will of both the brigade and the Lylatian soldier. Tucked beneath the fist were the words, in black text, "3rd Brgde. 4th Inf.", and underneath the shield was a ribbon-like banner, embossed, in fine script, the phrase that gave the brigade it's nickname; "THEY MUST BE MADE OF IRON".

The doorway to the building opened with a hiss. Inside it, starting straight ahead to greet the rising sun, was a tall panther, dressed in the standard battle uniform, his uniform shirt unbuttoned, against regulations (though the further one got from the core worlds, the more one could get away with. Hence, the reason they wore their berets instead of the standard helmet), revealing a dark green muscle shirt underneath. To passerby, he might appear to be just another soldier on his way to the mess tent, but a closer look at the rank patches on his collar told a different story. Upon his collar he wore the single four-pointed star of a Lylatian brigadier general. The panther's name was Diego Caruso, the older brother of Panther Caruso, and he was the commanding officer of the legendary brigade.

Diego stared out at the world through yellow cat's eyes tinged with green around the pupils, which were slightly expanded due to the dim light. Like his brother, Diego bore a scar, in his case along his muscled chest, where a piece of shrapnel from a grenade sliced it's way through his flesh. This was not as serious as some of his other wounds (including one to his arm which required it to be amputated at the elbow and replaced with a cybernetic prosthesis), but it was decidedly his most visible.Diego walked outside the building, the fresh scent that accompanied the dawn entering his nostrils and giving him a sense of peace.

_Great Messiah, you are my guide. I follow your light wherever it shines, for you will never lead me down the path of sin and temptation, but down the path of righteousness and salvation. You grant me peace and serenity, hope and salvation. I open my heart to you, so that your light may shine from me and lead others to your blessings. Amen. _As he recited the Profession of Faith to himself, he placed his hand over his heart, feeling the small gold starburst pendant, the Lylatian symbol of faith, through his palm. Caruso's faith was extremely important to him, and had led him through the horrific battles of the Lylat War and Aparoid invasion. He was brought out of his prayer by a voice from his left.

"Morning sir." A thickly accented voice said. Diego turned to see his aide, Major Michael Collins Shaw, standing off to his left, saluting smartly. Shaw stared at the world through cobalt blue eyes and down a muzzle draped with scraggly gray fur, the same that covered the rest of his body. He was dressed in full combat dress, minus the helmet, as all members of 3rd Brigade wore the black Army beret.

"Good Morning, Major Shaw." Diego replied, returning the salute.

"Will the General have something to eat?" Shaw asked in his thick brogue. Diego smiled.

"Now that you mention it, I could use some food." He said. "And a cup of coffee. Outer rim duty is not for the uninitiated." He said. Shaw nodded in agreement.

"Hell of a place to be sent, to guard miners when all the action is out in Sector P." He said. Diego nodded.

"What is the word on the insurgents, anyhow?" He asked as they walked over to the mess hall.

"No attacks on any of the colonies in the recent weeks, thank the Messiah." Shaw replied. "But, I've heard some interesting rumors flying around recently. Apparently, the insurgents are all concentrated near this one star system near the edge of the sector." Diego was surprised.

"All of them?" He asked. Not like the Venomians to be so focused, he thought.

"From what I've heard, a whole corps has been moved to the area surrounding this system. One man said he could put them all on the map, fifty thousand men." Shaw said. "Not like the Venomians to be so concentrated."

"Probably just typical scuttlebutt." Diego replied. "Nothing we should be worrying about." He said.

"There was another thing." Shaw said. "I also heard from headquarters this morning. Apparently, there was a scuffle between some Venomian raiders and one of our patrol ships in Sector P." Diego yawned.

"I hope there's a good reason that HQ is informing us of a matter that should be the domain of the Navy." He said.

"Normally they would, but this incident is a weird 'un." He said. "Apparently, as the ship had finished mopping up the raiders, she was attacked by missile frigates, and the crew was nearly introducing themselves to the Archangel himself, when a burst of energy erupted from the surface of a nearby planet and engulfed them, destroying the Venomians but leaving them with only minor damage." Diego's eyes widened.

"HQ is positive of this?" He said. Shaw nodded.

"The sent the message on a priority alpha." He said. Diego nodded. A priority alpha message meant that whatever was being sent was of the utmost importance and required immediate attention.

"What do they want us to do?" He asked.

"The message included new orders." Shaw replied. "We're to be on standby and ready for deployment until directed otherwise. HQ must be pretty shaken up about this if they're having us gear up." Diego nodded. "Should I have the men woken up and readied?" He asked.

"Have reveille sounded, but don't inform the men yet." He said. "We'll let them get some breakfast, and then I'll pass the orders along." Shaw nodded and saluted before heading off. Diego continued on his way to the mess hall, thinking to himself.

"I pray this doesn't turn out to be a crisis." He thought. "The last thing Lylat needs right now is another full scale war."

--

Fox pulled on his vest and gloves and entered the hangar, where the rest of the team who would be joining him was gathered. Behind the assembled mercenaries was the team's dropship, a standard AH35 military dropship with substantial modifications, courtesy of Slippy and his oft-used toolkit. The ships long, fat curved body gave the appearance of a great, silver painted whale, with transparent aluminum windows along both sides of its body. Attached to both sides of the ship were two large rotating plasma engines used for landing, take-off, and flight. A long tail section emerged from the back of the ship, and the body almost squared off underneath the tail, where the loading ramp was located. Two small stabilizer fins sprouted from the back of the tail section, each one emblazoned with the Star Fox logo, a red winged fox design.

Though designed to transport troops and equipment to the battlefield, the ship packed a vicious bite. In the back of the ship where the ramp was located was mounted a turret packing a A65 heavy repeater, essentially a plasma heavy machine gun, which packed enough of a punch to take down the shields of a light armored vehicle. The machine gun was attached to a universal mount, and was capable of being switched out for an AT-10 heavy kinetic energy penetrator launcher for taking down heavy armored vehicles, such as tanks. Two small swivel repeaters were attached to the front of the ship, a modification by Slippy for clearing landing zones. Another of Slippy's modifications was hidden in the sides of the ships. The port and starboard sides of the ship bulged more noticeably than on a stock AH35. This was due to the hidden weapons pods the Slippy had installed. These pods were loaded with four fixed A263 heavy repeater cannons on each pod, and when activated, deployed from the sides of the ship and immediately charged up, allowing the pilot of the dropship to lay down devastating blaster fire down on enemy units, decimating troops and armored vehicles alike.

"Alright." Fox said to the assembled team, Wolf included. "I don't think I have to explain the whole situation to you again. You all know, from our conversation with Dr. Bougainville, what we have on our hands. As you all know, our job here is to head down to the planet's surface and investigate a series of strange happenings, in addition to uncovering any hidden weapons caches the Venomians may have stored here. Specifically, we're looking for Talaron. ROB, are our PAD's sensor attachments calibrated to detect Talaron?" He said, speaking to the robot who stood off to the side.

"Yes sir." ROB answered. "All sensor attachments are calibrated to the settings and parameters specified." He said. "Dropship is loaded and prepared for planetary insertion." Fox nodded.

"Thank you." He said, and turned back to the team. "We'll have to be as quiet as possible down there. If this planet is indeed the location of the hidden Talaron, then the Venomians will surly have deployed a large force to locate it. We're loading ourselves up good in case of a confrontation, but we'll have to try our damndest to avoid it. Any questions?" No one make any indication of a question. Fox smiled. Just like always, they knew what was expected of them. "Alright, if no one has any questions, let's get started." The rest of them team whooped and prepared to board the dropship. Fox hopped into the cockpit, followed closely by Krystal, who took the navigator's seat behind him.

"Ready to go, love?" She said. Fox turned around. Krystal was dressed in her field gear; a pair of form fitting black shorts and a black tank top with the midriff showing, a silver vest with the Star Fox wings pinned above the left breast pocket, and a pair of field boots similar to the ones Fox wore. Around her waist she wore a belt with a holstered A4 blaster and spare power cells, along with a pair of night vision glasses and a combat knife. For the mission, she had traded in her usual silver or gold tiara with a white headband emblazoned with Cerinian script reading _fa'la am ag'ath, _Cerinian for "clear the way", and traditional battle cry of Cerinian warriors.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He said. "Let's hope we don't run into too much trouble." Krystal laughed.

"Relax, Fox." She said. "I'm sure there's no one down there, and if there are, we've proven ourselves more than a match for them." They both shared a chuckle.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm just worried in my old age." They laughed again, and fox pressed a button on the communications console, opening a channel to Slippy and Falco on the bridge.

"All ready to dust off?" Slippy said.

"Yep." Fox replied.

"Alright, releasing docking clamps." Slippy announced. With the characteristic banging of metal, the massive clamps which held the dropship in place in the docking bay. The antigravity lifts imbedded in he hull of the ship automatically engaged, allowing the ship to hover in place inside the bay. Fox immediately engaged the engines, which whined to life and began spewing blue ion jets from their tails. The large dropship launched from the bay, and Fox deftly turned on a course for the planet's surface.

"Alright, we're going in. Strap yourselves in." Fox called to the team members sitting in the back of the ship. The team complied, strapping themselves into their seats. Fox activated a small display screen to his left, which displayed the ships systems status. "Set for atmospheric entry." He ordered. The ship's computer automatically adjusted the shields for entry into the planet's atmosphere, strengthening them to endure the intense heat of atmospheric entry. Fox pointed the ship's nose at the planet and set her on course for entry. As the ship began to enter the atmosphere, the cockpit and cabin began to shake with the intensity. Orange flames formed and began to lick around the nose of the ship, completely obscuring the canopy, and Fox's view of the planet. For this reason, the ship had automatically switched over to autopilot, which now worked to keep the ship from veering wildly off course during entry, and possibly burning up or crashing. Entry didn't last long, as after four minutes, the ship broke through the atmosphere, and the flames disappeared. Fox grabbed the controls as the ship returned to manual control, and deftly maneuvered it to level flight.

"Never gets old." He said to himself. Pushed a button activating the intercom system to communicate with the cabin. "Folks, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing shortly on sunny P-4419. Please keep your seatbelts on and your tray tables up and locked and your seats in the full upright position. Thank you for choosing Star Fox Airlines. We hope you fly with us again." Krystal chuckled at Fox's joke, and he could hear the rest of the crew doing the same over the intercom. Fox grinned and deactivated the intercom to concentrate on piloting the ship. His targeted landing zone was in the foothills of the mountain range that Dr. Bougainville had shown them. The water began to take on an aquamarine hue as the ship got closer to land, finally ending with a stretch of shoreline bordered by a massive, sprawling rainforest, the mountains rising in the distance like the craggy peaks of Corneria's Western Continent. The ship gently cruised over the jungle.

"It's beautiful." Krystal said, admiring the scenery. Fox was about to reply, when an alarm began to sound.

"Missile lockon detected." The monotone voice of the ship's computer sounded. Fox's eyes widened.

"What the hell?" He said. Before he could react, the ship lurched forward. Fox's heart leapt into his throat when he realized what had happened. A missile had struck the ship's tail, damaging the stabilizers. Krystal screamed as the ship violent lurched from side to side. Fox fought to get the ship under control, and just about had it when another missile burst from the jungle and streaked for he ship. Fox barely managed to avoid a direct hit, and instead the missile exploded beneath the right engine, severely damaging it. Fox realized the ship would not be able to stay in the air with only one engine.

"Hang on, we're going in hard!" He shouted over the intercom, and began to maneuver the ship for a crash landing. He spotted a large clearing in the jungle and positioned the ship to hit the ground. He positioned the ship so that it hit the ground belly up. The ship violently shook as it slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and debris as it skidded along the ground, finally coming to a rest near a grove of trees. Fox breathed heavily, his heart doing a drum roll against his ribcage.

"Is everybody okay?" He asked.

"A little shaken up, but I'll manage." Krystal replied.

"Aside from some whiplash from your lousy flying, we're just fine." Wolf's gruff voice sounded over the intercom. Fox pressed the button to lower the ramp, and the team scrambled out, followed by Fox and Krystal from the cockpit.

"Well, that was exciting." Miyu said.

"Speak for yourself." Faye replied, rubbing the back of her head from where it had impacted with the bulkhead. Fox was about to reply, when a noise began to emanate from the jungle.

"You guys hear that?" He said. They all strained their ears to listen. The sound began to get closer to them, and it didn't take them long to realize what it was.

"Wolf, get on the repeater. The rest of you, get weapons." Wolf grabbed the repeater and charged it, training it in the direction of the noise. The others rushed into the ship and returned armed with blaster rifles. They all ducked behind a fallen tree near where the ship had crashed, Fox drawing his trusty blaster from its holster on his hip. The sound began to grow closer and clearer, becoming the clear sound of shouting voices, a ghastly call from the pits of Hell itself. With the fury of a storm wave, a horde of black uniformed soldiers burst from the treeline, red laser fire bursting from their rifles as they charged. The team immediately opened fire, Wolf mowing down the soldiers with the repeater while the rest picked troops off with rifle fire. A bolt from one of the soldiers managed to find its mark, striking Faye in the shoulder.

"Ahhh!" She screamed as the laser burned through her flesh. Miyu picked off the soldier who shot Faye, striking him between the eyes with a well-aimed laser bolt. Some soldiers managed to get close enough to fight hand to hand, but were quickly dealt with by Krystal, who drew her combat knife and cut them down. The team fought fiercely, until all of the soldiers had been dispatched. Fox noticed Faye's wound and grabbed a medical kit from the ship, pulling out a tissue repairer and painkiller. He handed them to Miyu, who injected Faye with the painkiller and waved the repairer, a square device large enough to fit in the palm, over the wound, sealing it up without scarring.

"There we go. Chalk it up as another successful treatment in the career of Dr. Miyu Lynx, jungle surgeon". She said.

"What's your next great moment in medicine?" Faye asked.

"Why, presenting the bill, of course." Miyu said.

"I'll mail you a credit slip." Faye replied. In the meantime, Wolf had been counting the bodies of the slain soldiers.

"What do you think?" Fox asked.

"I estimate around four hundred." He said. "Just enough to fill a Venomian infantry battalion." Indeed, the soldiers all black uniforms, combined with the T16 blaster rifles they carried, and the Imperial Seal on their uniforms, it was quite obvious that they were Venomians. "And if memory serves, where there's a battalion, the rest of the regiment isn't too far behind." Fox nodded. The last thing they needed at that moment was to face a full Venomian infantry regiment of 1300 or more troops.

"Let's gather what we can from the ship." He said. At that moment, his PAD began to buzz. He picked it up and pushed the receive button.

"Fox, what's going on?" Slippy said. "We saw you guys hit the ground!"

"We're fine, Slip." Fox said. "We just had to deal with some uninvited guests."

"Venomians?" Slippy said. Fox nodded.

"We got jumped by an infantry battalion, and there's probably a whole regiment hiding in the woods somewhere." He said. "We're gonna start trekking for the mountains."

"The mountains are at least twenty miles away." Falco cut in. "You guys have a long walk ahead of you, especially if you're being pursued."

"I know." Fox said. "The thing is, I'm don't know how these guys managed to hide themselves.

"I've got that." Wolf said, holding up a black box-like device he took from the belt of a dead soldier. "It's a biocloaker."

"A what?" Fox asked.

"It's a device that blocks sensors from reading the biosigns of the wearer." Wolf said. "I'm willing to wager that whoever sent them here sent them in cloaked ships and equipped each and every one of them with these things." Fox nodded.

"Let's get going." He said. The team gathered what they could from the ship, and headed off into the jungle in the direction of the mountains, unsure of what they might find.

--

The team hiked their way through the jungle, Fox slashing a path for them with a machete. They had been walking for nearly six hours, and were dog-tired. Fox pushed the team to continue until they reached a small clearing next to a stream, where they finally stopped to rest.

"Thank the Messiah, a breather!" Faye exclaimed as she plopped down on a rock, followed by Faye and Wolf. Fox and Krystal took a seat on another nearby rock. Fox gently wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders, and she rested her head lovingly into the crook of his neck.

"This place is so beautiful." She said. "It reminds me so much of my home." Fox smiled.

"Does it now?" Fox said.

"Yes. My village was in a place not much unlike this one." She said. "This stream, it's just like the one my brother used to take me fishing in. She closed her eyes as she began to reminisce…

_Four year old Krystal sat with her brother Ja'kan on the shore of a small stream that ran a little ways from their village of Sivamarra, long wooden poles in their hands with simple string tied to the ends. On the ends of the string were pronged metal fishhooks with bait dangling from the ends. Krystal smiled as she watched the end of her pole, hoping that a fish would soon come by and take the morsel offered on the end. She didn't have to wait long, as the end of the pole began to twitch and shiver, indicating that a hungry fish had taken the bait._

_"Big brother!" She yipped. "I've gotten a bite!" Ja'kan paused from watching his own pole. He smiled._

_"Well the come on, pull him in." He said. Krystal stood and planted her feet as she prepared to pull the fish in. Almost immediately, she began to be pulled down toward the water._

_"Ahh!" She screamed as she was nearly yanked off of her feet by the fighting fish. Ja'kan immediately jumped up and grabbed her, helping her steady herself._

_"It's okay, I've got you." He said, holding onto her tightly. Krystal tried to pull the fish into shore, but grew tired against the strain of the fish. Evidently, it was too big for her to handle. Ja'kan grabbed a hold of her pole and helped her to pull the fish into shore. The fish fought hard, but the combined strength of both Ja'kan and Krystal proved too much, and the fish began to be dragged toward shore._

_"Alright, on three, pull with all your might." He said. Krystal nodded. "One, two, three pull!" They both pulled with everything they had, and the fish, a large blue sunfish like creature with tendrils extending from the sides of its mouth like whiskers was yanked from the water and onto shore. Krystal collapsed on the ground from exertion, her long blue robe splashed by the fish._

_"We caught him, big brother." She said happily. "And he's big." Ja'kan nodded._

_"This one looks big enough to eat. What do you say we have him for lunch." She nodded happily. Ja'kan smiled and hugged his little sister. He then picked up the fish and their poles and led her home, Krystal giggling happily along the way._

"You okay, hun?" Fox asked her, bringing her out of her reminiscing. She wiped a small tear from her eye.

"Yes, just thinking." She said. Fox leaned in and kissed her.

"Don't cry." He said. "I'm sure your whole family is watching over you right now, and they're proud of everything you've accomplished." She smiled.

"Yes." She said. "I know they would be, too. Especially Ja'kan." She laughed a little. "I wonder what he would say if he had the chance to meet you."

"Probably 'Who's that ugly guy my sister is making out with?'" They both chuckled lively at this. Wolf came over and tapped Fox on the shoulder. Fox looked up. "What is it?" He asked.

"It's six." Wolf replied. "It's going to be dark soon. We'd better get moving if we want to cover any more ground today." He said.

"Right." Fox said. "Alright everybody, let's get moving. I want to cover as much ground as we can before it gets dark." Surprisingly, there was no grumbling, Faye and Miyu just happy for a break. They all slung their packs over their backs and began to march again, hoping to get closer to their goal. It was then that Fox spotted something shimmering in the water. He bent down lower to pick it up.

"What is it, Fox?" Krystal asked.

"What do we have here?" He said.

--

Night had come to Corneria, the citizens out in force fully enjoying the nearly rebuilt city's vibrant nightlife, resurrected from the ashes of the Aparoid invasion. Young folks drifted into and out of bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, while the older set sought out theatres and concert halls. All around, glowing entertainment district hummed with vibrant activity, the citizenry all too eager to seek out pleasure to escape from the lingering difficulties of the reconstruction of Lylat.

Entertainment was not on the mind of the solitary figure that approached a maglev station near a street corner dominated by a large bar advertising all manner of cocktails that he didn't care to know the contents of at that moment. This figure stood out from the ordinary citizens who trekked down the sidewalk on their way to enjoy themselves due to the fact that he wore the dark blue uniform of a Lylatian military officer, his uniform jacket decorated with a large group of colorful medal badges, his sleeve cuffs decorated with gold knot designs. On his head, he wore the standard dress hat worn by all officers of the Lylatian military, with the exception of a cluster of oak leaves around the brim. On his collar, he wore a line of four four-pointed silver stars. These, along with the sleeve markings and oak clusters, marked him as a general, the highest rank in the military. The figure, a stout gray fox, was General Frederick Casey, the Commandant of the Army and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the high command. Casey came to the position after the former Commandant, Pepper himself, retired from the military after briefly serving in the honorary position of Marshal of Lylat during both the Lylat War and the Aparoid Invasion. Casey had served under Pepper as a division commander when Pepper commanded the IX Corps, and was promoted to command of the corps after Pepper became commandant. He went on to lead the corps as they participated in both the Katina and Outer Rim campaigns, and later devised the brilliant Lylatian strategy that broke the defenses of the Venomian capital and forced their surrender. He later saw limited action during the Aparoid crisis, when the IX Corps led the defense of Corneria. Though he lost half of the corps, his tactical brilliance and brilliant leadership helped save the day for Lylat. Though his battered corps did not take part in the invasion of the Aparoid homeworld, it was only natural that Pepper recommended him for promotion to Commandant after the Aparoid crisis and his retirement, which Casey graciously accepted. He now oversaw the rebuilding of Lylat's battered military, which despite his best efforts, still lagged behind. This led him to face mounting criticism from the Senate, especially from members of the Liberal Party, who despised him for his insistence on increased defense spending, money which they felt was best spent on an ever expanding slew of useless social programs.

Casey scowled a little as he remembered his last appearance before the Senate, which despite seeing an increase in election of members of the Conservative Party, still had a hostile bloc of Liberals eager to defame their favorite target. He was there to argue in favor of a bill that would have increased funding for recruitment efforts by the military.

_"Honored Senators." He spoke before the assembled Senate. "As I'm sure you already know, a bill has come before you to address the need for additional funds for recuitment efforts to help our armed forces recover from the recent Aparoid crisis." _

_"Yes, do please present your case." One senator, Senator Thomas Galloway from District four on Eledard, replied to him snidely. "Please explain to us why you think that our 'all volunteer' armed forces deserve more money while innocent children starve." Casey scowled. Galloway, an aging red furred hair, was well known for his fiery speeches and his ultra left-wing views. He was especially hostile to anyone from the military establishment, whom he always saw as trying to usurp power._

_"I assure you, Senator Galloway, that what I propose is in the best interests of us all." He said._

_"More so than decent health care and quality education?" Galloway sneered. Casey scowled again. Lylat's health care system was the envy of any, and the school voucher system that had been put in place had freed untold millions of youngsters from failing schools._

_"I understand your concerns, Senator." He said, with a small hint of revulsion. "But I did not come here to discuss politics, I came here to present my case as to why this bill should be passed." Galloway sat back in his seat._

_"Do please continue." He said. Casey cleared his throat before continuing._

_"To put it quite frankly, our current efforts to recruit new soldiers are not enough." He said. "If we are to meet the lofty goals that have been placed upon us, we must expand our efforts, and that requires money. The bill presented to you will allocate three hundred million badly needed credits to go towards recruiting efforts on both the Core and Outer Rim worlds." Galloway huffed._

_"Recruiting the poor and uneducated. How typical of you goosesteppers." He said. Casey scowled. "Goosestepper" was a pejorative term for military personnel used by the far-left, who generally viewed anyone besides themselves as fascist. _

_"Senator, please." Senator Dick Lieberman, one of the few voices of sanity left in the Liberal Party, said. "Please continue, General." He said. Casey thanked him and continued._

_"I don't think I need to remind you of the horrendous losses we took in the recent conflict. Most of you probably saw it with your own eyes." He said. "Our military has been halved, and with Venomian insurgent activity on the rise, we simply cannot afford to have a military operating at only half strength. We must recover our numbers to prewar numbers, and to do that, we need to recruit. That is why we need you to pass this bill, for the safety and security of all Lylatians." Casey may not have been the most eloquent speaker, but he had a remarkable gift for convincing people. Murmors of agreement came from both Conservatives and some moderate Liberals._

_"If I may, General." Galloway snidely replied. Casey braced himself. "Is it at all possible that by convincing this Senate to pass this measure, that you will be indirectly destroying the very thing you claim to desire to protect?" Casey gave an unnoticeable eye roll. He knew what was coming next._

_"By growing the size of the armed forces to astronomical proportions, you put all our freedoms at risk." He said. "The military takes men and instills in them the abhorrent values of blind obedience and violent behavior. In short, they become little violent robots. I shudder to think of what these little violent robots will do to us once they have successfully gained the power they crave." Casey could see some of the Conservatives shaking their heads in disgust. He wanted himself to get up from the seat and punch "that arrogant asshole" as he called him, in the mouth. But he restrained himself._

_"I think you overstate your case, Senator." He said calmly. "I don't know what your friends in the "progressive" arena have been filling your ears with, but I can assure you that the military has no intention of overthrowing our democratic government and creating another Venom, and anyone who could possibly suggest otherwise is sadly misinformed." He could see a twinge of anger beginning to appear on Galloway's face._

_"You presume to insult me, General?" He said. Casey smirked._

_"Tit for tat, Senator." He said, smirking. Several Conservatives laughed in response. Galloway fumed._

_"Don't you dare insult me, you backwoods idiot!" He shouted. Majority leader John Novak, a moderate Liberal, banged his gavel to silence the room._

_"There will be civil discussion over this proposal!" He said. "Are there any other remarks that anyone would like to make?" One of the Conservatives raised her hand._

_"General, you know quite well, being a member of our party, that the Conservatives oppose any wasteful spending by government." She said. "In what way would this proposal not fall under that rubric?" She asked. She already knew the answer, but most of the room was tired of listening to Galloway's anti-military tirades. _

_"It's quite simple. As I recall, our party also calls for a strong defense to protect us from threats, both internal and external." He said. "Any spending that goes toward that purpose, by it's very nature, is hardly wasteful." He said. Every single Conservative in the senate nodded in agreement._

_"If that is all, I believe this discussion has ended." Novak said. "We will now come to vote on this measure. Thank you for your time, General." _

_"It was my pleasure, Senators." He said, before leaving the halls of the Senate to allow them to vote._

He gave a slight smile. The measure passed, but that was not the only thing. As the struggles continued, the people began to grow tired of the Liberal's fumbling, and began to elect Conservatives into both the Senate and to various local offices. Though the new Conservative dominated Senate had yet to make its mark, he felt that the system would finally be back on the right track, once the ridiculous bureaucracy that the Liberals had put into place was trimmed.

By then, his train had arrived, and he boarded with little difficulty, seeing as how few people were using the maglev at this time of night. His destination was the famous Mall, or more specifically, the Defense Department headquarters. He had been asked to meet with Secretary Pepper. For what purpose, Pepper was not clear.

The ride to the Mall was not a long one, twenty minutes at most. The train pulled into the station a block away from the Senate building, where Casey exited the train. He took a moment to purchase a coffee from a stand nearby, and then headed for the Defense Department headquarters. The walk itself was not long, and he reached the front steps in less then ten minutes. The guard standing in front of the gate stopped him as he approached.

"Please present your ID card, sir." He said. Casey smiled.

"I don't know why you ask. Everyone seems to know who I am." He jested with the sentry. The sentry laughed and examined the ID Casey produced.

"Everything is in order sir, you may enter." The sentry said, and waved him on through. Casey, noticing he was slightly behind schedule, made a beeline straight for the elevator in the lobby and punched the button for Pepper's office. The high speed elevator made it to the floor, and Casey entered, greeted by the empty desk of Pepper's secretary. He needn't have had her buzz him in anyway, as Pepper was already waiting for him.

"You're late." He said. Casey nodded.

"My apologies, sir." He said. "The crowds in the downtown weren't permissive for punctuality." He said. "If I may sir, why have I been summoned."

"Ah, straight to the point, as always." Pepper said with a smirk. "Step on in, and I'll explain everything." Casey dutifully followed. Pepper offered him a cigar, which Casey politely declined. Pepper lit himself one, took a puff, and sat back down in his chair.

"I'm quite certain that you've been briefed on the odd happenings in Sector P, centered around the planet P-4419." Pepper said. Casey nodded.

"I have been briefed." He said. "Though I'm not exactly certain how such a finding is of any consequence to the military." He said.

"I'm getting there, old friend." Pepper said. "I've also received reports of insurgent forces massing in the nearby systems. In addition to this, I've just learned from some old friends that they were attacked by an insurgent force on P-4419." Casey was astonished.

"Have the Joint Chiefs and the Chancellor been informed of this?" He asked. Pepper shook his head.

"Not yet." Pepper said. "What I'm telling you now is known only by me, my men on the ground on P-4419, and some civilian scientists. That is all." He puffed his cigar a little more. Casey shook his head.

"What would the Venomians want with P-4419? From what I've been told about the planet, it offers not strategic value to them." He said.

"We most definitely ruled that one out." He said. "We've also ruled out any economic value, as the planet contains no known sources of fuel or any known deposits of valuable metal or minerals. I was baffled as to why they would be so interested in this planet, until I received this intel report." He accessed his PAD and handed it to Casey. Casey read the message and was astonished.

"We've broken the insurgent code?" He said. Pepper nodded.

"I'm surprised you haven't been informed." He said.

"Damn military bureaucracy, is all." Casey said. Pepper nodded.

"Read on." He said. Casey read the rest of the message, his shock deepening with every word.

"Great Messiah." He said. "They've hidden Talaron on the planet?" Pepper nodded.

"We can only assume so." He said. "My contacts in the Intelligence Service have never been wrong before." Casey held the PAD with shaking hands.

"Great Messiah." He said. "If the insurgents get their hands on that forsaken green glop, millions could die." He was sickened at the very thought. Pepper put a hand on his shoulder.

"This is where I need you, Casey." He said. "Fox and his boys are good, but even they are at a disadvantage. The insurgents will stop at nothing to get that Talaron, and will send everything they have to ensure that they get it. They'll be needing backup on this one." Casey got what he was saying.

"I doubt that the higher ups will allow us to deploy forces on a whim." He said. "I know for a fact that that cretin Galloway will not stand for it." Pepper chuckled.

"Which reminds me. I meant to send this over to you, but it slipped my mind." He handed Casey a chip, which he plugged into the PAD. It was a news report from the Coneria City Post, the biggest newspaper on Corneria. Casey smiled widely when he saw the headline on the politics page.

"Senator Thomas Galloway was voted out of office in this week's Senatorial elections. Exit polls indicate voter dissatisfaction with Galloway's ultra-liberal views and hostility towards the military as deciding factors." Casey read with glee. "His replacement for the district four seat is Bail Williams, a member of the Conservative party." He smiled. "This is certainly good news." Pepper nodded.

"As I'm sure it is to just about everyone who has ever worn the uniform." He said. "Now then, are there any forces available to support my men?"

"The nearest force I have is Third Brigade of Fourth Infantry, about four thousand men." Casey said. "The rest of the division is deployed deep in the Outer Rim dealing with insurgents." Pepper nodded. "Both Eleventh Infantry and Eighth Mechanized are close, but not as close as Third Brigade."

"How long would it take either of those divisions to move in?" He asked.

"At least three days." He said. "And even then, they would be moving in without air support, the nearest force being on Katina."

"That's assuming that the Venomians have air units on the planet." Pepper said. "Experience has taught me that they will not risk air units to a mission if they do not know that we know what they're up to." Casey nodded.

"I could send in Third Brigade to hold down the fort for them until both divisions arrive." He said. "If I can send them in with sufficient surprise, the Venomians will have a hard time repelling them, especially if they don't have armor support." Pepper nodded.

"I have faith in those boys." He said. "They don't call them the Iron Brigade for nothing." Casey smirked.

"I'll contact General Caruso and have him prepare to move out at a moment's notice." He said

"Keep the orders vague." He said "Don't tell them the nature of the mission until it is time to deploy." Casey understood, and nodded.

"Have no worries, sir." He said. "If the time comes, by the next rising of solar, any Venomians on that planet will be introducing themselves to the devil."

--

Fox gently stood up, admiring the piece that he now held in his hand. The others began to crowd around him, trying to get a look at what he had found.

"What did you find?" Faye asked. Fox wiped some of the river mud off of the object, which turned out to be a piece of gold chain.

"It looks like gold." He said. "From a piece of jewelry or something." He said. Krystal pulled out her PAD and activated the built in scanner. She ran the device over the piece.

"It's gold alright." She said. "From what, I can't say." Fox looked at it closely.

The chain shined brightly in the light that filtered down through the trees. The piece was about two inches long, and bore no marks that might have identified to whom it belonged to, or where it came from. The links were triangle shaped and solid, rather than the usual hoop design of jewelry chain links.

"What do you suppose?" Fox asked.

"It's probably nothing of significance." Wolf said. "Just a piece of jewelry belonging to some survey team member that broke off and was lost. Nothing to worry about."

"The design is weird though." Miyu said. "The links are solid triangles. I've never seen that in any jewelry worn by Lylatians." Fox nodded.

"Maybe it was a custom piece." Faye suggested. "People make bizarre requests for custom jewelry all the time." She said. Wolf nodded.

"Like I said, probably just a piece from someone's necklace that got lost." He said. "We'd better get moving if we want to stay ahead of any Venomians." The others nodded and prepared to move off. Fox noticed Krystal seemed lost in thought.

"You okay, hun?" He asked. She looked up at him and nodded.

"It's nothing, just thinking again." She said.

"About the chain?" He said. "How come?" She sighed.

"This may sound ridiculous," she said, "but chains like that… were common in Cerinian jewelry, especially necklaces and bracelets." Fox was surprised. She laughed. "I guess I'm being foolish." She said.

"Not so." He said. "But it's probably just something left over from a survey team." He smiled and pocketed the chain length. "An old custom from my hometown. When you spotted a shiny object on the ground, you put in your pocket, and it's supposed to bring you good luck." Krystal giggled.

"A little superstitious, aren't we?" She giggled again. Fox laughed too.

"Hey, don't knock it." He said. "I'll have you know, I was carrying a bottle cap I pocketed on Zoness when I met you." She smiled and kissed him.

"We'd better get going, or the others will leave us behind." She said. Fox smiled and took her hand, heading off to join the others.

--

"Ugh, it stinks in here!" Faye complained loudly. The team had entered a large swamp, and were now trudging their way through the mud and thick, gnarled trees draped with moss. The dark, dank atmosphere and the creepy looking flora made the team feel like they were stuck in a horror movie. The smell of rotting vegetation wasn't helping to ease the creepy feelings welling up in their guts.

"Careful going through that swamp, you guys." Slippy chimed in over their PADs. "According to the reports Dr. Bougainville gave us, that swamp is home to some nasty predators." Fox nodded, not feeling much better about having to go through it.

"Gee, thanks a lot, Slippy." Miyu replied with heavy sarcasm. She almost didn't see the massive spider-like creature that darted out in front of her.

"Aiieeee!" She squealed as the ugly black creature stopped and raised its legs in a threat display at her. It uttered a loud hiss as it tried to frighten her away.

"Relax, Miyu." Slippy said. "Those things are harmless. They don't even have venom."

"Doesn't make it any less ugly." She said. Fox pulled out his blaster and shot at the creature, making it scuttle away in fear.

"C'mon, guys." He said. "Let's get moving." The others agreed, eager to get out of the festering stink hole that they had entered.

--

The swamp soon gave way to more forest, which to the team's delight placed them right on the foothills of the largest mountain. Only a smaller hill stood in their path. Lucky for them, a cave system ran down through the hill to the other side.

"Thank goodness, no climbing." Wolf said. "I don't think my legs could take it after all the that walking." The others agreed, and the whole team entered the cave, LED flashlights in hand to light the way. They soon did not need them, however, as they soon spotted a blue glow about thirty minutes into the cave.

"What in the name of the Messiah?" Fox said. The others gaped in astonishment. They cautiously followed the glow until they came to another tunnel, which was filled with glowing blue crystals jutting from the rock of the cave wall. Krystal gaped even wider at the sight. Fox cautiously plucked one of the crystals from the wall and scanned it.

"No sign of radiation, so we're not getting fried." He said. "But they don't match any known mineral, natural or otherwise. Krystal began to shake, as though something was disturbing her. "They appear to be giving off energy, but not unlike any energy source we know of."

"Fox, can I talk to you in private?" Krystal asked. He nodded and followed her back to where the others could not hear them.

"What is it honey?" He asked. She clenched her fists to try to stop from shaking.

"The crystals." She said. "They… they look like the ones my people used to use. They gave off a strange energy, which reacted to our psychic powers. Our religious leaders said that the energy was a gift from the Gods, so they used them for religious ceremonies. I tested one of them, and it reacted. Oh Fox, could it be true? Could my people have been here?"

"Anything is possible." Fox said. "You said that your people explored space. It's possible some could have landed here and seeded the mountains with this crystal." Tears had begun to form in Krystal's eyes.

"Do you think… that any of them could be alive here?" She asked. "I know it sounds silly, but could it be true." Fox held her close.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know what to think." He said. "It's not likely, I'll say that. But from what you told me, if anyone could eke out an existence here, your people could." Krystal smiled and kissed him deeply.

"Let's get back to the others." He nodded and they rejoined the group.

--

After hiking underground for nearly four hours, the mountain pass surrounded by jungle that greeted them was a welcome relief from the monotonous gray rock of the cave. Adding to the beauty that surrounded them were brightly colored flowers and the occasional colorful bird that flew overhead. The air was still and quiet, slightly discomforting to the intrepid Lylatians who now prepared to make their camp in the middle of a clearing nearing a large river. The only sound that they could hear was the distant thunder of a massive waterfall, and the occasional bird or animal call.

Fox and Krystal set up the field tents, small silvery huts that were equipped with adapt to environment technology to conceal them. Though they had not seen any Venomians for several days, they decided not to take any chances, and made sure that the system for each tent was activated. The moment each five foot high tent deployed from it's waterproof container, it immediately morphed from silver to jungle camouflage, which perfectly matched the terrain they were now in.

Wolf occupied himself with checking the teams weapons stock. They had been forced to gather weapons and supplies in haste after being attacked back at the crash site, and were uncertain if the weapons they had gathered would be enough. Though they did not have any anti-armor weapons, the team did gather some A24 blast rifles and plenty of power packs, ensuring they would be able to hold their own if attacked. Wolf finished his inventory and went over to Fox.

"How's the stock?" Fox asked.

"We've got enough power packs for the rifles, so we should be fine if anymore troops decide to pay us a call." He said. "But I'd be more comfortable if we had some KEP launchers, in case the Venomians decided to scrounge up some armor for their operations here." Fox nodded.

"It seems we forgot about that detail in our haste to get the hell out." He said. "Well have to depend and Falco and Slippy if any tanks decide to pay us a visit." Fox pressed a button on his wrist communicator, opening a com channel to Falco.

"I'm here, Foxy." He said. "Need my services yet?"

"We may soon. I want you to be ready to take off at a moments notice, in case we run into armor." He said.

"Worrying a bit much, aren't we?" He said with a chuckle. "I'll have my arwing ready to go, and I'll have Slippy keep the weapons on yellow." He said, referring to the color code system the team used to denote alert status, "yellow" meaning standby.

"Got that. Fox out." Fox replied, and closed the com link.

"Nothing on the perimeter scans." Faye called. Both she and Miyu had been running scans of the surrounding jungle with portable field sensors that they had managed to grab from the crashed dropship. Though they had limited range, the sensors were an invaluable part of their early warning system, as they could pick up contacts that the team could not see with their eyes.

"Set the sensors on autoscan and keep them running twenty-four seven." Fox ordered. "I don't want us to get caught with our pants down out here."

"Got it." Faye said. Krystal had pulled out some sleeping bags and small pillows and set them up inside hers and Fox's tent. Her ears perked up, however, and she stopped when she heard a sound emanating from the jungle, distinct form the bird calls and animals sounds they had been hearing all day.

"Fox." She said. "Do you hear that?" Fox turned to her.

"Hear what?" He asked. She beckoned into the jungle, and Fox strained his ears to listen. He too heard the faint, yet distinct, noise.

"Shh." He said to the others. With only the waterfall sound in the background, Fox could now make out the clear sound of sobbing.

They were hearing the sound of a crying child.

Fox immediately began to head off in the direction of the crying, when Wolf grabbed his shoulder.

"I wouldn't go rushing off into this one." He said. "It could be a Venomian trap." Fox scoffed.

"I highly doubt the Venomians would use the sound of a crying child to lure people in." He said.

"The Black Fist troops were known to use fake distress calls to lure men in for ambush." He said. Fox shook his head.

"I don't think so." He said. "Faye and Miyu's scans didn't pick up anything, and there's no signs that anyone has been through here. If that is a kid, we have to help." Wolf was still unsure, but he relented.

"Here." He said, grabbing a rifle. "At least go armed." Fox didn't want to frighten the child, but he nodded and took the rifle.

"I'll be back." He said. He ran off in the direction of the sound, following it upriver. As he got closer, he could hear the crying getting louder and clearer, a sure sign that he was getting close. As he got closer, he held the rifle up in front of him and crept nearer and nearer. He finally came close to a smaller waterfall. And what he saw sitting on a rock overlooking a small pool nearly made his heart stop. Sitting there, with her knees drawn up to her chest and tears streaming down her face, was a young female fox kit, about five or six years old, wearing a white dress and silver bracelets on her wrists. A simple gold tiara adorned her head. But what was most striking about her was her fur; a bright blue, with white around her muzzle and the bottoms of her paws.

The little girl was a Cerinian.

--

"You want me to what?" The incredulous commanding general of the Fourth Infantry Division asked General Casey.

"I want you to have Third Brigade be ready to deploy to P-4419 at a moments notice." He replied calmly. "We have reason to believe Venomian insurgents are concentrating there, and Third Brigade is the closest unit to the planet."

"But if I move them in, they'll have no armor or air support." He said. "I don't like sending men in without either."

"I don't like it either, but we don't have much of a choice." He said. "The Venomians are searching for something, and I don't want them to get their hands on it." He said, not mentioning the Talaron.

"I have the feeling you can't tell me what it is." The general replied. Casey nodded. "Will I be able to get support at some point?"

"Star Fox is already there, I've been informed." He said. "They can provide air support. I will also send in my two other divisions."

"Alright, I'll have Caruso's boys ready to move out." He said.

"Thank you." Casey replied. "May the Messiah protect you." And with that, he closed communications.

--

"Oh Holy Messiah." Fox said as he stared at the girl, hardly able to believe it. He had heard Krystal's stories of her homeworld's destruction, and it had seemed impossible that anyone could have survived such a calamity. Now, he was looking at the proof that some did, with his very own eyes.

Fox gently put the rifle on the ground and approached the little girl gently, careful not to startle her. The girl buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

"_Mumu."_ She sobbed gently. Hearing this broke Fox's heart. _Mumu _was a Cerinian word, mostly used by young children, which loosely translated into Lylat standard as _mama, _and served primarily as a term of endearment. Either the girl had been abandoned, or she had somehow gotten lost. Fox gently called to her to get her attention. The little girl looked up from her hands, the fur on her face streaked with tears. When she spotted Fox, she gasped and tried to run away, but the pool blocked her path, so she cowered into a split in the rock.

_"Fulani la'a!" _She cried out. _Go away, _she had said. Fox slowly knelt down and raised his hands, showing he wasn't armed.

_"Elani ka natorima." _Fox said in broken Cerinian. "_Ila se nanka jatore ku." _He had told the girl that he would not hurt her, that everything was okay. The girl's look of fear softened a little, but she still did not leave where she cowered.

_"Ku'a hensante?" _She asked. _You promise? _Fox nodded.

"_Ila se nanka jatore ku." _He repeated. _"Ila hensante."_ The little girl cautiously crept out from where she hid. Fox held his hand out. The girl stopped for a second, unsure of what this meant. But Fox gave her a gentle smile, and she slowly reached out and took it. Fox took a look at her. The mist from the waterfall had soaked her fur and clothing, and there were some scratches on her face, probably from brush. He decided to take her back to camp and get her some food and shelter. She looked like she could use it. Also, he wanted to show her to Krystal. This would make her very, very happy.

--

The girl clutched Fox tightly as he carried her back to camp. The look of fear had come back as he took her into camp, where Faye and Miyu and Wolf sat around a fire.

"Ah, good thing your back Fox, we just started a…" He paused when he saw the frightened little girl in Fox's arms. "By the Messiah, I'm a seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Fox nodded. Faye and Miyu stood astonished at Fox's discovery.

"My word." They both said.

"Get Krystal, she needs to see this." Fox said. "And let's get her some food, she looks like she's been out here for a while." Faye rushed off to fetch Krystal, who had gone to set up one of the extra field sensors. Fox set the girl down near the fire, allowing the heat to dry her off. The little girl held her hands out over the fire, trying to get warm after freezing from being soaked, and staring around at the camp and the figures that remained. Her eyes darted back and forth from Fox to Miyu to Wolf, and she nervously fidgeted. Fox put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which seemed to calm her down a bit.

"_Ila ke sutora." _The little girl said. Fox wasn't sure exactly what she meant, but as though she understood his confusion, she would point to her mouth every time she repeated the phrase, indicating that she was hungry.

"I take it she's hungry." Wolf said. Fox nodded.

"It would appear so." He said. Wolf fetched some field rations and opened them. Not exactly first class fare, but it would assuage her for a while.

"Looks like we've got some beef stew." He said, opening the container and placing it near the fire to heat it. He then pulled out some large crackers and jam and handed them to the girl. Confused, she bit down on the cracker, and was turned off by it's bland taste. Fox took some jam out of its plastic container and spread it on the cracker. The girl tried it again, and smiled as the sweet jam touched her taste buds.

At that moment, Krystal came back with Faye, confused as to why she had been called back.

"What's going on here?" She asked. Fox was about to explain, when Krystal caught sight of the little girl. Her expression went from confused to shocked beyond belief it what seemed like a millisecond to Fox and the others.

"Oh great Hesora." She said hoarsely, as though she was losing her voice.

--

Krystal felt as though her knees had turned to jelly. Her stomach was doing backflips, and though she couldn't see it, she was sure her eyes were as wide as tennis balls. Sure, she had seen the crystals in the cavern, known that she had only seen them growing on her homeworld, and got the strange, improbable suspicion that some of her people may have survived. But, it still struck her like a wrecking ball to see the little Cerinian girl, dirty and scraped up but otherwise well. The young girl had the same sapphire blue eyes that Krystal herself had, as well as the same hairstyle and even the same gold tiara that she used to wear, albeit one without a stone. If she had had the same tattoos, she could have easily resembled a younger version of Krystal.

Krystal felt like she was going to faint. She immediately knelt and put her head between her knees. Fox rushed to her side.

"Hun? Are you ok?" He asked. Krystal began to hyperventilate, the shock of seeing the Cerinian girl before almost too much to bear. The girl noticed something was wrong with the adult Cerinian.

_"Ke u'a sa'le?" _She asked, wondering what was wrong? Krystal took a moment for her head to clear before she answered.

_"Ila ki sa'le." _Krystal said weakly, the shock having barely worn off. The girl approached her, trusting of her fellow Cerinian, and placed her hand on her shoulder. Krystal had put on a field jacket due to the coolness of the evening, which concealed her tattoos from the girl.

_"Ki juta mi." _The girl said, pointing towards Fox. Krystal smiled.

_"E'a guran se'a?" _Krystal said, saying _did he now _in her native tongue. The little girl smiled at Fox, an expression Faye and Miyu found cute. Fox smiled back.

"So," he said, kneeling down in front of her, "where are you from?" Krystal repeated the question to the girl in Cerinian. The girl responded by pointing over towards the mountains and said something in Cerinian.

"She said that's where her settlement is." Krystal said, translating for her. Fox looked off towards the mountains. The mountains were capped with snow, and from his own estimate, where double the height of Mount Carlisle on Corneria, the highest peak in the Lylat system. The rocky slopes of the mountainsmeant tough terrain for anyone living in the foothills.

"Awful rough place to put a colony." He said. "How many of them are there?" Krystal asked the girl in Cerinian. The girl said something Fox could not make out.

"She says there are many, many of us." Krystal replied. "It must be a fair sized colony." The little girl suddenly began to tear up, and said something that fox couldn't make out.

"Oooh." Krystal cooed scooping the little girl up in her arms. "She says she misses her mama."

"The poor thing." Faye said. "She's lost." Miyu nodded.

"We're going to help her find her home, right?" She asked. Fox was conflicted. They had their orders, to find out the source of the mysterious signals, and to find the hidden Talaron cache before the Venomians did. Now, they were confronted by this. As Fox's mind wrestled with the situation, the girl walked up to him, a pleading look in her eyes, silently begging Fox to help her. Fox stared into the girls pleading gaze, his heart melting.

"Ok." He said. "We'll help her." Just then, Slippy chimed in.

"Fox, I've got bad news." He said. "Looks like we've got a huge storm system approaching from the northwest. It's not bad, but it's going to last at least until late tomorrow morning. Looks like you're stuck there for the night." Fox nodded.

"Alright team, looks like we'll be staying in this place for a bit." He said. "Is there room for the girl?" Fox asked Krystal.

"It'll be a squeeze," she said, "but I think we can fit her in ours." Fox nodded.

"Ok." He said. The little girl smiled widely and grasped his hand.

_Thank you. _Fox heard the little girl's voice in his head. He smiled.

--

The rain poured loud and hard that night. The ground under the tents became a mud pit, and Faye's even managed to turn into a waterbed from the torrent of runoff. It was a gift from the Messiah himself when the rain finally stopped sometime after eight in the morning, defying Slippy's prediction.

Fox unzipped the front of the tent and crawled outside. Krystal slept with the little girl cradled in her arms. Fox looked at them and smiled. Krystal handled the girl so well. She would make a wonderful mother.

Some gray clouds remained from the storm the previous night, and the ground on which they set up camp had become soaked with rainwater, puddles forming every few feet, it seemed. The river had swelled slightly from the downpour, a good three inches up its banks. A light mist had formed around the river and campsite, giving the scenery and almost mystic quality, as though it had come straight out of a fantasy tale.

Fox took a few moments to take in the early morning air. The early morning always had a calming effect on him, especially after a rainstorm. The aroma of the air was pleasing to his tired mind, and seemed to relax him, despite the knowledge that they were still in danger of being ambushed by Venomians. He was just about to wake up the others when he heard something in the distance. At first it was too faint to make out, but as the sound drew closer, he was able to make out the sound of voices, calling out something in Cerinian. It was unmistakable. Fox was hearing the sound of a search party, looking for the lost little girl.

The tent behind him stirred, and both Krystal and the little girl, looking half awake, emerged.

"Fox, is that people?" Krystal asked. Fox nodded. Wolf, who had woken up before the others and had been scouting the area, entered the camp and heard the calling voices.

"Is that Cerinian I hear?" He asked.

"Yes. They must be looking for the little girl." Fox said. He began to walk off into the woods, marking the location of the camp on his PADs navigation program.

"You're not going off alone, are ya?" Wolf asked.

"They're clearly not hostile." Fox said. "And it will look less threatening if only one of us goes. I'll be fine." Wolf nodded, and Fox took off.

He ran through the woods for about fifteen minutes, before he came to a hill overlooking a small ravine. Trudging along a path down the ravine was a small group of vulpines, about ten strong, clad in longsleeved shirts in varying colors and white pants with armored boots. They wore white hoods on their heads, which only allowed their muzzles and eyes to show. The vulpine leading the group, a surly fellow with scale armor on his chest and two large, curved swords with gold hilts and grips strapped to his back, paused to examine the ground in front of him. The others paused as well, the blue rifles they carried equipped with vicious looking serrated bayonets. Fox was hesitant to signal the heavily armed group, fearful they would shoot him on sight. Then he remembered he was not armed… and the little girl was depending on him. He took a deep breath and whistled.

The vulpines immediately looked up at him. He raised his arms to show he wasn't armed, but that didn't stop one of the vulpines from aiming his rifle at him. Fox's heart stopped, and he braced himself, but the leader grabbed the vulpine's arm and gestured to Fox, muttering something in Cerinian. The vulpine lowered his weapon, and the leader looked up and Fox, dead in the eye. Fox noticed that this fellow had the same piercing jade eye color that he had, and the right side of his face was decorated with a bizarre tattoo pattern that wrapped around his eye and went down his cheek. For a few seconds no one moved, and then, to Fox's astonishment, began to climb up the rocks up to where he stood. Fox reached down to help him, and he took his hand. Soon, the vulpine was face to face with Fox.

The vulpine said something in Cerinian that Fox could not understand. Fox knew that these men were the little girl's only hope, so he cleared his mind and though out his statement.

_Follow me. _Fox thought. The vulpine seemed confused, but he appeared to have picked up Fox's thought patterns. _I found the little girl you are looking for. _He thought. The vulpine's eyes widened. He beckoned to the others, and three of them climbed up to them.

_Take us there. _The lead vulpine thought to Fox. Fox nodded and gestured to them to follow him, which they did diligently.

Fox led the group down the path he carved through the jungle, Fox occasionally turning back to make sure the group was still following him. He eventually led them to the clearing where they had set up camp. Krystal and the little girl were eating breakfast, and the others had woken up.

_Here. _Fox thought as he led them into the camp. The little girl turned to see who had come into the camp, and dropped her food when she saw the lead vulpine, before letting out a cry of joy.

_"Kume!" _She cried. _Father. _The lead vulpine likewise cried out in joy and relief. The little girl leapt up and ran into her father's arms. He embraced her tightly. Tears were streaming down both of their faces. The team was surprised by this development.

_"Tala, your mother was quite worried about you." _The elder Cerinian said.

_"I am sorry for wandering away, father." _She said. He smiled.

_"Don't be sorry. We're just glad you're safe." _Krystal smiled.

_"You have a lovely daughter, if you do not mind me saying so." _Krystal said to him. The man was about to reply, when he froze.

_"Father, what is wrong?" _The little girl asked. He just gently set her down and approached Krystal, a look of shock on his face, as though he had seen a ghost.

_"Krystal, is that you?" _He asked. Krystal was confused.

_"I do not understand what you…" _Before she could finish, the man pulled his hood off, revealing the face of someone Krystal thought she would never see again.

The man who had entered the camp was her brother, Ja'kan.


	6. The Remnant

Chapter Five: The Remnant.

Krystal just stared into the face of her brother. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest. How could this be? She had seen the massive missiles strike the surface of her homeworld. She had seen its surface scoured clean of life and turned into a barren wasteland. She had imagined the horrified screams of her family, friends, neighbors and fellow Cerinians as their lives were snuffed out in the instant the green wave touched them. She had imagined the last moments of her brother's life, valiantly fighting off the soldiers so she could escape and survive the holocaust.

And now, here he was standing before her, alive and unharmed.

Krystal became lightheaded. She nearly collapsed into the fire, but for the timely intervention of her husband. Fox caught her as she fell and put her down on a nearby log. Ja'kan, ever concerned, was instantly at her side.

"_Sister, are you alright?" _He asked in the Cerinian tongue. Krystal looked up at him, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

"_Brother?" _She said. Ja'kan nodded.

_"Yes, it's me sister." _He said. _"And yes, I am well."_ Krystal burst into tears and embraced him. Ja'kan returned the gesture with brotherly love. Fox stood by, simply overwhelmed by it all. After what seemed like an eternity, Krystal and Ja'kan let go of each other, and Fox was the first to speak.

"You're Ja'kan." He said. Ja'kan looked up at him.

"_Who is this man?" _He asked. His tone was one of curiosity, rather than concern or fear. Krystal turned to fox, her eyes sparkling and a wide smile on her face.

"_He is my husband." _Krystal said. _"Fox McCloud of Corneria and leader of the Star Fox team." _Ja'kan's expression turned to surprise.

_My sister is married to an alien? _He thought to himself. _Blood and ashes, what is she thinking! Aliens wiped out our people and destroyed our civilization! Aliens killed our… _He stopped midway through his thoughts when he noticed the look on his sister's face. It was one of horror and sadness. Indeed, Krystal could scarcely believe what she had heard in his mind. She thought of all people, her own brother would be there to support her. He frowned.

_Now look what you've done. _He thought. _Bloody gul'gana Ja'kan, you're supposed to be against this type of madness! _He scolded himself. He then took another look at the vulpine male. He concentrated, and began to sense something. He felt familiar thoughts coursing through the vulpine's mind. Somehow, this alien, or aliens, as he began to see, were no threat to him or his people. Course, seeing as how they rescued his daughter, he should have thought that to begin with.

He extended a hand towards Fox's head. The others reacted defensively to protect their leader, but Krystal stopped them.

"It's alright." She said. "No harm will be done." Miyu still held her blaster tightly.

"How do you know?" Krystal smiled.

"He's reading Fox's mind." She answered. Fox understood. Ja'kan placed his hand on Fox's head, in the manner that a bishop back home on Corneria would when ordaining a new priest. Fox felt a surge of energy course through his head, causing it to tingle. Fox assumed this was the psionic energy probing his thoughts. After a little bit, Ja'kan took his hand away. His face now bore a smile.

"That was weird." Miyu said. The others were silent. Ja'kan continued to smile. He signaled for the others to lower their weapons. He bowed to Fox, which surprised the vulpine.

"I apologize, Fox McCloud, for my suspicion." He said, in perfect Lylat Standard. "My people have suffered much, and it appears that the irrational fear of my leaders has rubbed off on me more than I expected." The others mouths were agape. How did he know their language?

"How did he learn how to speak to us?" Faye asked, amazed. Wolf likewise pondered it.

"He sucked it from my brain." Fox said. And that wasn't too far off. Cerinians had the ability to instantly learn a language from reading a person's mind. Krystal had used the same ability when she first encountered Fox on Sauria, enabling her to communicate with him when she boarded the _Great Fox. _

"My sister has probably already told you about me." Ja'kan continued. "But if any of you don't know, I am Ja'kan, Son of Kel'mar." He said. Krystal smiled.

"Uh, hi." Faye said. "I'm Faye Spaniel, uh, Daughter of Tommy Spaniel." She said sheepishly, not familiar with such a formal way of naming, but not wanting to offend the Cerinian. Krystal giggled at her sheepishness.

The others introduced themselves in less formal terms, which Ja'kan seemed to understand. These people didn't seem like the formal type to begin with, judging by the clothing they wore and the thoughts that were going through their heads (he even picked up a thought that he made a note to inquire the meaning of; the cat woman identified him as "hot"). The other Cerinians just stood back, apparently waiting for their leader to finish.

Krystal had a difficult time keeping the tears out of her eyes. A flood of happy memories had returned to her mind. She could see herself as a little child, playing games with her older brother. She could see herself standing next to her mother as she cooked their evening meal, singing a traditional song as she did so. She could see herself sitting on her father's lap, listening to him tell her stories of valiant heroes of old defeating evil villains. She could see her brother courting Kelia, beginning his quest to become a warrior, his tapping ceremony, his wedding, all the joyous moments of her life on Cerinia.

She smiled, a smile that only came when the wound of a broken heart, the scars of loss, are healed by healing touch of joy. Fox noticed this smile, and he couldn't help but smile back at her. The moment was just too good to be true. Each moment, Krystal expected to wake up in their tent, the dream ended. It was a few moments before she realized that it all wasn't a dream, and her brother was really alive. The whole realization settled over her like a warm, comforting blanket, so much that she forgot completely why they were there. That is, until her PAD began to beep. She wiped her eyes and fur and picked up her PAD.

"Krys, what's going on down there?" Falco asked. "You guys haven't moved in a while now." Krystal smiled.

"It's ok Falco." She said. "We were just about to head off." As she spoke, her brother came over, curious as to what she was doing. Slippy spotted him.

"Uh, Krys?" He asked. "Who's that guy?" He asked. Krystal was about to answer when Ja'kan interrupted.

"Why is that strange colored bird talking?" He asked. Being a Cerinian, he had never encountered avians before. Falco was visibly miffed.

"Who are you calling strange there twinkle toes!" He shouted. Krystal laughed and told them they would start looking for the Talaron. Falco huffed and closed communications.

"Talaron?" Ja'kan inquired.

"Do you have a place we can go?" Fox asked. "We'll explain everything when we get there." Ja'kan nodded.

"Yes, we have a settlement." He said. "It is a four hour journey from here." He said. Fox nodded. The others were not thrilled with another long hike, but they packed up their tents and gear and got ready.

"_Zebac!" _Ja'kan called to the other Cerinians. They slung their rifles over their shoulders and signaled for the Lylatians to follow them. Fox leading the way, they did.

---

The Spartan corridor of the utilitarian starship echoed with the sound of heavy footsteps. The sound was coming from the two booted feet of a tall lupine officer. He was dressed in the standard black dress uniform of the old Venomian Army, complete with knee high black boots. His uniform jacket bore the single gold braid of a field army commander, and he listed to port under an array of medals, ribbons and badges. The jacket also bore gold epaulettes. His uniform pants bore red piping down the side of each leg; infantry. His uniform cap was solid black and bore the insignia of the Venomian Army; an armored fist clutching a sword emblazoned on a shield with cross rifles behind it.

The officer bore five arrow points like insignia on a gold circle background pinned to his collar: the insignia of a Venomian field marshal. On his hip he bore an officers scimitar embossed with his name upon the gold hilt.

_FIELD MARSHAL TIMOTHY MATTICK, COMMANDING OFFICER THIRD IMPERIAL ARMY_

Field Marshal Mattick was a career soldier in the Venomian Army, having started out as a lowly private in the 345th Infantry Regiment during the waning days of the first democratic government of Venom. He became seduced by the preaching of the fascist exiles from Corneria, railing against the weak government and the men who lead it. He was instrumental in the rebellion which eventually brought Andross and his fascists into power and began the massive military buildup in preparation for the Lylat War. For his part, Mattick was given an officers commission in the new army and was given command of the 345th Regiment (though he wasn't promoted to Colonel until the beginning of the war), which was assigned into space to cooperate with the fleet to conquer new systems.

Later in his career, Mattick led his regiment in operations during the Katina campaign. His regiment was one of the Venomian regiments that charged up the Jovan Heights during the battle that made the Lylatian Iron Brigade famous. The 345th nearly broke the center of the line, held by the Lylatian 278th and 39th Infantry Regiments, before the reserves charged in to drive them back. Although the Venomians failed to take the heights and capture Katina's capital, several of the regimental commanders were promoted, and Mattick was among them, being given the rank of brigadier general and given command of the entire brigade, which took part in the defense of Venom. Now, he had promoted himself to command of the entire army, bypassing division and corps command along the way.

The Venomian insurgent forces were on the ropes throughout the outer rim, despite what the Lylatians suspected. Lylatian interdiction of their supply convoys, the information generously supplied by "informants", had rendered many of their units immobile and unable to be utilized. Many sectors were reporting mass desertion and starvation which more than halved their units. In addition, many of the leftover officers were either corrupt or incompetent, and the men refused to serve under them, leading to mass execution which further decimated the ranks. Units were being harassed by pro-Lylat partisans in the outer rim who destroyed supply bases and other important elements.

It was enough to make a commander pull his hair out, Mattick said to himself.

He smiled, despite that thought. Things had begun to look up for them recently. Earlier that month, Mattick was able to covertly insert spies into the military of Venom's provisional government, which had been in place since the end of the war, working to repair the damage wrought by Andross' fascist government. The spies managed to steal some information from the old Venomian databanks, which help all of the former government's darkest secrets, and found something that made Mattick smile with malicious glee.

The spies had uncovered the location of a hidden cache of deadly Talaron, Andross' deadliest secret weapon.

During the final days of the war, while Lylatian forces were closing their noose around the Venomian capital of Kurehn, Field Marshal Markus Schatzinger, Supreme Commander of Venomian Forces, arranged for SSB agents to smuggle several hundred containers of the weapon away from Venom and conceal them on a remote planet. He had the location concealed and intended to flee Venom with the information, along with the rest of the officers who would make up the core of the insurgency. A laser bolt from some Lylatian soldier put an end to those plans. Mattick cursed him. Schatzinger was never the kind of leader anyone could rally around. He was abrasive, cruel, and tended to keep order by mass executing men. Not the best way to get the soldiers to like you.

But it didn't matter now. The location of the weapon had been found, and now it was time to seize it before the blasted Lylatians could find it and destroy it.

Mattick rapped a control panel with his Marshal's baton, which opened the hatch to the ship's equally Spartan bridge. Not upholstery, nothing. Just solid gray metal adorning every part of the bridge. There were no seats at the consoles; the crew was forced to stand at their posts, even in battle. Countless Venomian Navy personnel were killed as a result of head injuries sustained during intense combat. Right now, the ship was on course for the planet identified as the hiding spot for the Talaron cache, the colorful realm of hyperspace surrounding the ship like a blanket.

"Carlton." Mattick said to the man standing at the helm. The helmsman turned around and stood at attention. "How much longer until we arrive?" He asked.

"Four more hours, Marshal Sir, then we'll be able to deploy the rest of your army." He said. Mattick smiled.

"Alert the men." He said. "Tell them to be ready to deploy in four hours." He said. Another officer approached him.

"Will all four of our remaining corps be ready to deploy by then?" He asked.

"If not," Mattick said, "we'll just have to make sure they comply next time. I've got a few ways to… motivate them." He said. The officer shuddered, knowing what they meant.

"Lieutenant Carlton." He said. "You heard the Marshal." Carlton saluted and went off to inform the corps commanders.

Mattick grinned evilly. Not much longer now, and they would have their hands on the key to the rebirth of the great Venomian Empire. If only the Emperor were still alive to see them.

---

Ja'kan grunted as he chopped aside some particularly tough jungle plants with one of his swords. The others followed him through the path he had cut ahead of them. The Cerinians threw the larger pieces of vegetation aside to further clear the path. Ja'kan would pause every now and then and close his eyes, as though he were meditating, and then would continue along the path, sometimes adjusting his direction.

"What is he doing?" Faye asked. Krystal turned to her.

"Hmm?" She said.

"Your brother," she said, "he keeps stopping and doing something, like he's thinking about something." Krystal smiled.

"It's a trick my people developed." She said. "We have large crystals that react to our psionic energy, and amplify signals. We use them as beacons to help people find their way back and around." Faye was mystified, but she nodded. Fox smiled and followed Ja'kan as he continued to hack through the jungle.

"Ah ha, found it." He said, as they came upon a path that had been previously cut. Fox assumed that Ja'kan had cut it when they were looking for his daughter. "We are almost there, another couple of hours and we will be at our settlement." He said.

"Thank goodness." Faye said. Ja'kan chuckled as he wiped the plant juices off the blade of his sword

---

"General Sir." A raccoon private said, approaching Caruso. Caruso looked up from his breakfast.

"Yes private?" He asked.

"Sorry to interrupt sir, but there's a message waiting for you." He said. "It's from the high command." Caruso's expression turned to surprise.

"What would the high command want?" He wondered. He got up and followed the private to the brigade's communications tent. He pulled the canvas flap aside and sat down on the communications terminal. Sure enough, there was a message waiting for him from General Casey himself. "Casey himself? Must be hella important." He pressed the receive button on the control panel, and a link was opened to the General's office. Casey's visage materialized from the holoprojector.

"Good day General Caruso." Casey greeted.

"Likewise sir." Caruso said. "We have new orders?" He asked

"Straight to the point, as always," Casey said, "much like my old commander. Yes, I do have orders for you." Caruso nodded. "I'm ordering you to ready your entire brigade for immediate deployment."

"What the hell?" Caruso asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss it right now." Casey said. "But I will say this, something is brewing in Sector P, and your men are the closest to area." Caruso didn't have a good feeling having heard that. He didn't like the idea of the high command giving him vague orders. No point in arguing though; once Casey had made up his mind about something and ordered it, it was to be carried out with no objections.

"Yes sir, understood." Caruso said. "I'll have the brigade ready to move out on the double." Casey nodded before cutting the com link. Caruso got up and went to have the bugler sound the assembly.

At the sound of the assembly, 4,500 men all assembled in the middle of the camp. General Caruso stood before them to relay the orders.

"Alright men, we've got new orders, straight from the top. There was murmuring amongst the assembled soldiers. "We're to be ready to move out at a moment's notice. The entire brigade is now on alert level yellow."

"Are the insurgents causing more trouble?" A soldier asked.

"Command wasn't specific." He said. "But if they're ordering us to be ready, we can bet they're on to something big. I want your gear packed and ready. Not wasting time." He said. The soldiers all saluted and were dismissed.

---

"We have arrived." Ja'kan said. The team was wiping the moisture that had collected on their fur and clothes off. One of the downsides to the jungle, the moisture and humidity got _everywhere. _"Welcome to our settlement." Ja'kan said.

"It looks like caves." Fox said. Ja'kan whistled, and almost immediately, a host of other Cerinians emerged from the caves. One caught Krystal's attention. She was wearing a lovely white dress, and sported wave pattern markings on her arms, as opposed to Krystal's and Jakan's. She also wore a ruby pendant, and a lovely earring bearing Ja'kan's family mark. It was Kelia, her sister in law.

Kelia ran forward and embraced her husband and daughter. There were tears flowing down her face. She had obviously been worried sick about her missing daughter, saying something in Cerinian. Ja'kan then whispered something into her ear, and held his hand on her head as he had done with Fox, transferring his thoughts to her. When her eyes had opened, she turned to see her long lost sister in law.

"Krystal." She said. Krystal smiled and nodded. "This, is your husband?" Kelia asked.

"Yes, he is." She said. She then said something in Cerinian that made Kelia giggle. Fox smirked. Ja'kan explained to the others what had happened. There were murmurs of suspicion, but everyone seemed to accept what they had been told. Ja'kan then gestured for everyone to follow him inside the cave. Fox looked to the rest of the team.

"I don't like the idea of anymore caves." Miyu said. But, they all followed their leader into the cave after the Cerinians.

The Cerinians of the remnant.

---

Fox whistled when he saw what the Cerinians had been able to build in the days since they fled their shattered homeworld. They had turned the massive cave complex into a thriving city, complete with everything that a civilization would need. There were places of healing for the sick and injured, libraries which preserved every piece of written knowledge that they had salvaged shrines and temples for worship, and schools to teach the next generation. There were shops and other places of commerce, places of recreation to ease the monotony of life, storage areas for the food produced by the above ground farms, and a large building decked out in ornate carvings and a great dome supported by columns, which Ja'kan indentified as the place where their leaders met. Light was provided by both fire and energy crystals that hung from the ceiling and bathed the cave in a gently light.

The rest of the team was equally in awe, especially Krystal. The thing that amazed her most was the number of apparent survivors. She looked out across the underground city and saw it rippling with a sea of blue vulpines. There had to be _thousands _of them down there.

"Brother, how many of you have survived?" She asked.

"Just over seven hundred thousand of us made it off the planet." He said. "In the years that followed, our numbers have grown to almost a million." Krystal smiled. It seemed so incredible that not only did some people survive the holocaust, but that hundreds of thousands had, and they had managed to rebuild the civilization that had been destroyed in this cave on this tiny and isolated planet, so far from home.

Ja'kan led them into the area of the cave that had been converted into residential space. Numerous quaint stone houses had been constructed for the families that lived in this area, and several warm lights glowed within them, almost beckoning the tired Lylatians to knock and ask for shelter.

"My family lives here." Ja'kan said, pointing to a house at the end of the block they were on. "We don't have much in the way of refreshment, but we will manage." He said.

"Thank you." Fox said. Ja'kan's home was larger than the others, and was carved with more elaborate decorations indicating his status as a warrior. They entered the home, which was cozy and warm, with a fire blazing in a nearby fireplace. The furniture was simple, a display of Ja'kan's notorious modesty. The chairs and bed were made of local wood, and were set with blue cushions and white blankets on the bed. Traditional Cerinian artworks, religious scenes as well as pictures of his family, decorated the walls. Ja'kan's spare swords and well made armor were set on the wall. Some local flowering plants were planted in unusually shaped pots at various points. The team was set at ease by the surroundings. Ja'kan had them all sit down on the chairs while Kelia poured drinks and served them.

"You mentioned something about Talaron back in the clearing." Ja'kan said. Krystal smiled. Straight to the point, as always, was he.

"Yes." Fox said. "First, I should tell you about the Venomians."

"The beasts who murdered my people," Ja'kan said, "the butchers in black who dropped those horrible weapons on us. Yes, we are familiar with them. What exactly do they have to do with this Talaron?" He asked. He must not have read everything in Fox's mind.

"Talaron is a weapon developed by the Venomians to fight my own people." Fox said. "It's a radiological energy weapon that gets its power from other energy sources. Explosions are particularly effective in doing this." Ja'kan winced.

"Would this weapon happen to be green in color?" He asked. Fox nodded. Ja'kan sighed. "Now I know what hit us." He said.

"We have reason to believe that a secret cache of it hidden on this planet." Wolf said. "Over the past few weeks, our intelligence agencies have been picking up signs of increased Venomian insurgent activity in this sector."

"If fact," Fox said, "our military sent a ship to help investigate a strange signal that was coming from this planet, and it was attacked by Venomian attack ships."

"Strange signal?" Ja'kan asked. "What sort of signal."

"A really bizarre one; intel says it resembled a brainwave." Miyu replied. Ja'kan thought for a moment.

_A brainwave eh? _He thought to himself. _I wonder…_

"Where was this signal detected?" Ja'kan said. Fox showed Ja'kan the coordinates. Ja'kan realized just then what they were talking about. "Ah, the temple, that's what you detected." He said.

"Temple?" They asked. Krystal, Ja'kan and Fox, who knew about it, all laughed.

"Shall I tell them?" Ja'kan said. The others nodded. "You see, one of our young warrior initiates was undergoing his _koshmekara." _The others dropped their jaws.

"A ceremony were a warrior must find his way home in six days." Fox said. He also explained that the initiate was led home by a psionic signal projected by the local clergy and magnified by a large temple crystal. It all made sense now.

"I assume your leaders afterward sent you when this ship was attacked." Ja'kan said. "And that you believe that the increased presence of these Venomians around this planet means they think it's here."

"We also have this." Fox said, showing him the document that Wolf had shown him. Ja'kan was stunned.

"By the gods," he said, "if they discover us here, they'll kill us all." He said. "And then, Cerinia's last sons will cease to exist." Fox nodded. The Venomians had no qualms about killing the majority of them off, what's the say they would they wouldn't try again?

"We can help you." Fox said. "We've fought the Venomians before, and for all we know, we have a head start on them." He explained. Krystal and the others nodded.

"No fascist punks are going to take anyone out while I have a clear shot at them." Faye said. Miyu just smiled and nodded.

"These guys have hurt to many innocent people, including my own family." Wolf said. "I'm not about to let them do that here, again." He said. "I won't be able to live with myself otherwise." Ja'kan began to smile.

"I'll have to speak to the ruling council." He said, speaking of the government that had been set up with the death of the entire royal family. "But I'm sure they'll be able to understand." He said. The others agreed. "In the meantime, there's a feast scheduled to celebrate our newest warrior's accomplishment. Would you accompany me?" He asked.

"We'd be glad to." Fox said. The others smirked, being hungry and anxious for a good meal.

---

The smells that invaded their nostrils made their mouths overflow like a burst dam. The food smelled absolutely incredible. The farmers who labored in secret above ground had provided an abundance of tasty food for the preparation of the dishes.

The most prominently featured menu items were fish dishes, and Krystal immediately recognized some of them. They had _peshtri, _a tasty dish made from filets of a flounder like fish cooked in spices and served with slices made from a tasty melon like fruit; _castan, _tasty spiced fish strips cut from a type of Cerinian catfish and topped with shredded _kitat _roots and nuts; _troshtrat, _which was a soup made with a clam like creature and cooked in a creamy yellow broth made from a vegetable similar to squash; and her absolute favorite, _koshran ku, _a dish made from the steaks of a tuna-like fish, marinated in a Cerinian berry wine and topped with a tangy sauce.

Krystal smiled. She soon felt famished and couldn't wait to eat. But first, a prayer had to be said to bless the meal and the people that provided it for them. This being a public gathering, the prayer was given by the priest of the temple, and was dedicated to the Cerinian god of grain and the goddess of plenty, Kemat and Jutalia, respectively. The priest, dressed in traditional Cerinian religious wear consisting of a flowing robe, white cincher and purple sash across the right shoulder decorated with gold religious symbols, stood up and blessed the feasters before beginning his prayer.

_"Ki zet faron es sutras." _He said. "_Kemat ek Jutalia, hasas ui ek zet zafras je kutuk ga ui. He na gurante ui tuyat et oforantat. Ki zet faron es sutras." _The congretation replied. The prayer, in Standard, read "In the name of the gods. Kemat and Jutalia, bless us and the food that sits before us. May it give us health and nourishment." Short and simple and to the point.

Fox, suddenly ravenous, helped himself to a little bit of everything, and sat down next to his wife to eat. He didn't seem to notice, or care, that some folks in very official looking robes were looking at him with suspicion in their eyes. Ja'kan did notice them, however, and he gave them a hard glare, as though warning them to cease their staring. The men obliged and turned away, returning their concentration to their food and to the conversation they were having with the priest. Ja'kan frowned. Apparently, convincing the ruling council that the Lylatians were no threat and intended to help them was going to take more work than he had anticipated.

Fox and Krystal ate their food and snuck the occasional kiss and nuzzle. They did this at almost every official function, and though it drove Peppy absolutely batty, they enjoyed each other's company as much as possible. The Cerinians, despite that odd coupling they saw, smiled at the sight of them. They realized that the two were obviously in love, and they could apparently sense that Fox was as good a man as any Cerinian male.

Fox felt something tap his arm. He looked down to see little Tala looking at him. He smiled at her, the niece he never knew he had.

_"Hello." _She said mentally. Fox smiled.

"_Hi." _He said back.

_"Papa says he senses you're a hero." _She said. _"Is that true?" _Fox pat her head.

"_Well, I don't like to blow my own horn." _He replied. "_I have done my fair share of heroics though." _She seemed confused by his expression.

_"I don't see a horn." She said. _Fox chuckled.

_"It's just an expression from my planet." _He said. _"It means I don't like to brag." _She seemed to understand. They conversed mentally like this for a couple of minutes, Fox telling her all about Lylat and Corneria. She smiled, and so did Fox. He was enjoying talking to a long lost family member.

The tapping of a table indicated that someone was about to make a speech. Fox turned his attention to a man in official looking robes, who he presumed to be a community leader, standing with a glass of Cerinian wine in his hands. He said something in Cerinian, and the rest of the celebrants raised their glasses. Fox did likewise, realizing it was a toast to someone, probably the new young warrior. Fox took a drink of his sweet wine.

"Good stuff." He said. Krystal smiled. Ja'kan then stood up.

"If I may humble myself, I would also like to propose a toast." He said. Fox and the others turned to him. "To our humble guests, Fox McCloud and my beloved sister Krystal… McCloud." He said with a mischievious grin. Fox and Krystal couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey!" Faye said. They turned to look at her. She was grinning, as were Wolf and Miyu.

"Oh yes." Ja'kan said. "And they're friends and team mates." He said. The others offered their toast. Fox grinned, Krystal said "thank you" in Cerinian to everyone sitting next to them. The officials, however, did not toast them. They both glared at Ja'kan, as though he had broken some sort of social taboo. Ja'kan glared back and mouthed something to them, which some who saw him thought was a swear word.

Ja'kan frowned. He knew that these men were the force behind the anti-alien, isolationist sentiment that was currently infecting the council. Convincing the council was going to be much harder than he had thought.

---

Later that evening, following the feast, Fox was sitting on small cliff outside the underground lair of the Cerinian Remnant. His face was plain, and his eyes betrayed a sense of deep concentration, reflecting of the state of deep thought he was in. His chin was resting on his hands, in the classic pose of pondering.

Their mission had just gotten much more complicated. They were supposed to find a hidden cache of weapons and destroy it to keep the Venomians from getting it. Now, they had uncovered the last remnants of a once great civilization, one that the Venomians had tried to destroy a long time ago. One that managed to survive and now eke out a life here on the planet, he thought with a smile.

Fox's smile then turned to a frown. He harbored no doubts in his mind that the Venomians would try again. That was the way they were; if a person or group of people didn't match their definition of purity, they were simply eliminated, all part of their psychotic quest to purge society of "undesirable elements". They no longer were simply looking for a weapon; they were fighting to protect the last vestiges of a proud people. It was a lot of responsibility for a man to take on, even one like Fox McCloud, who was used to having the weight of responsibility thrust upon his shoulders.

"Fox," Ja'kan's accented voice sounded behind him, "may I join you?" He asked. Fox nodded.

"Pop a squat." He said. Ja'kan assumed he told him to sit down and did so.

"I can tell something is on your mind." Ja'kan said. Fox chuckled.

"Is it that easy?" He asked. Ja'kan smiled.

"You're mind is like a dam built by the village idiot." He said. "It looks sound, but in reality is bursting with leaks." Fox rolled his eyes. "I sense trouble in your mind."

"My mission was to look for hidden Talaron." Fox said. "Now I have to protect you guys." Ja'kan looked at him. "I know it sounds weird."

"You feel obligated due your marriage to my sister." He said. Fox nodded.

"Partially, but I also feel so because of my war experience." He said. "You probably already know this from picking my brain, but I was a mercenary during the Lylat War." He said.

"The great conflict between your home system and Venomian Empire," Ja'kan said, "yes, I am familiar with it."

"I usually don't give stock to rumors," Fox said, "but I heard horrible things about the Venomians and they're treatment of the 'impure'." He said the word "impure" with finger quotes. "I've heard rumors of mass executions, illegal experiments, and all sorts of other horrors." He said. "And then I heard about the Cerinian Genocide. I kept thinking, that the Venomians would have no qualms about trying it again." He got a determined look on his face. "And I can't let that happen again, not if I want to live with myself." He said. Ja'kan put a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand, and I assure you, my people sense that as well and are most grateful for it." He said. "I also sense something else, something about someone close to you." He said. Fox shook his head, a smile on his muzzle. He really couldn't hide anything from this guy.

"It's my own father." He said. Ja'kan listened with rapt attention. "He was a mercenary like me. He could be tough as nails, but he was one of the kindest souls you could ever meet."

"You must have held him in very high regard." Ja'kan said. Fox nodded.

"He was my idol, my hero really." Fox said. "He was the source of everything I believed in, and represented everything that I wanted to be." He smiled. "Besides that, he was just a really cool guy and probably the best father you could ask for."

"He sounds a great deal like my own father." Ja'kan said. "You say 'was'. What happened to him?"

"A while ago, when I was just a kid, the High Command asked him to fly out to Venom. They had been getting odd readings from the surface and wanted him to check it out." Fox said. "They discovered not only had the planet become heavily industrialized, but that Andross had taken over and was building and army to attack Lylat. To make a long story short, they had to gather their intel and get the hell out of there pretty quickly."

"But something prevented your father from escaping." Ja'kan said.

"They were trying to escape some of Andross' fighters, when one of his wingman, Pigma Dengar, began firing at them." He said, recounting the story that Peppy had told him. "It was a pretty intense dogfight, and from what Peppy Hare told me, they were at a loss to explain where his sudden skill came from."

"I think I can guess what happened next." Ja'kan said. "This Pigma managed to best your father and kill him." He said. Fox nodded.

"I took me a long time to move on." He said. "By Heaven's grace, I did, and went on to become what I am today." He said. He smiled with love. He missed his father, but he knew that if he could see the man he had become today, he would be proud, a sentiment Ja'kan agreed with.

"You really think so?" Fox asked. Ja'kan nodded.

"Fox, we have not know each other for very long," he said, "but, it is an honor to have you as part of my family." He smiled. Fox did as well.

"Likewise." He said. "Krystal has told me all about you." Ja'kan just smiled.

"I suggest we get some sleep." He said. "But before we do, there is something that must be done." Fox was confused. Ja'kan summoned him up and then took him deep into a grove of trees, were what appeared to be a small shrine consisting of a pedestal with a stone bowl on the top sat in the middle of a clearing, lit by the light of the full moon which hovered around the planet. Ja'kan went up to the pedestal, poured some liquid into it from a small vessel on the pedestal, and then took an object from his pocket and placed it in the bowl. He then beckoned Fox to approach. He did so, confused and a little bit apprehensive. He became even more so when Ja'kan withdrew his dagger from its sheath. To Fox's astonishment, Ja'kan held his free hand over the bowl and began to cut his hand, allowing the blood to mix with the liquid in the bowl and reciting the Oath of Brotherhood in Cerinian.

"_Il Ja'kan, metko jo ketchurai sutak ze feras te huitanamatarak kaz mil lan Fox McCloud, bestu ze morat." _He then handed the dagger to Fox, who despite his apprehension, cut his own hand and mixed his blood into the bowl, reciting the same oath. Ja'kan then took a burning ember from a nearby torch and dropped it into the bowl, igniting the liquid. It burned off quickly, and he extracted a gold pin in the shape of Krystal's hip tattoo design. Ja'kan then pinned it to Fox's vest.

"Welcome to the House of Kel'mar Fox McCloud, son of James McCloud." He said. Fox now understood what this was all about, and felt very good about it. He bandaged their cuts, smiling.

"Thanks." He said.

"Now," Ja'kan said, "to convince the ruling council to help us and you." He said. "I only pray that we are not too late."

_Shortest chapter in the entire story, I bet. I promise, the next one will be longer to make up for it. And it will be up sooner than this one was, definitely._

_As usual, please read and review._


End file.
